


Glitter & Crimson

by EarthToAlexis



Series: Last Young Renegade [1]
Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, M/M, Nomad V (Cyberpunk 2077), Romance, Smut, kinda slow burn, teeny tiny bit of angst if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:55:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29176023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EarthToAlexis/pseuds/EarthToAlexis
Summary: By a twist of fate V was forced to leave his nomad life and move to Night City. While he expected to find gangs and smog filled streets, he didn't expect to find friendship and possibly something more-----The aim is to write 10 or so chapters of V first meeting Kerry to them becoming a couple.Enjoy!
Relationships: Kerry Eurodyne/Male V
Series: Last Young Renegade [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141889
Comments: 38
Kudos: 157





	1. Chapter 1 - Some Kind Of Disaster

Chapter 1 - Some Kind Of Disaster

V grew up in The West of New United States, having spent most of his life providing for his clan and taking odd jobs when possible. While life outside of the cities meant freedom, it also came with added responsibility and certain disadvantages. Resources were scarce, cutting edge technology was basically non-existent for nomads such as himself. The little stuff that the clan managed to acquire needed to be refurbished and reused. While this meant that V picked up many useful skills during his time out on the open road, it also meant that he'd been stuck in the past.... at least that's what his friends in Night City kept telling him. It was very apparent that V had fallen behind on popular culture the second he stepped foot in Night City. He often felt out of place in the huge city.

"Fuck, the music these days is just horrible" V grumbled while turning off the car radio a bit too aggressively

"Not this again...." complained Jackie

"It's true! I mean listen to --" "Listen to those chicas in Us Cracks, I know" Jackie said mockingly "I've heard this a thousand times by now, old man"

"Hey! We’re the same age!" V said trying to look wounded

"Oh yeah? Remember the gig I had to carry you to the car after you sprained your pinkie toe" said Jackie with a laugh

"That was one time, and it was a broken leg" laughed V "You're never going to let me live it down are you?"

"Never" chuckled Jackie "The house is just up the street, we can park here and move further on foot"

They had been tasked to steal some fancy car for Wakako's client. The job paid well and there was a chance that it could also move them up the merc food chain, giving them the opportunity to take more serious gigs in the future.

They moved up the street to the coordinates they were given by Wakako when a huge villa came into their view.

_This must be the place,_ V thought. They weren't given many details about the job, which made V nervous. V shook his head as to shake away any doubt. _They had the coordinates, they knew the aim of the gig and where to deliver the goods after. That would be enough. The less questions you ask, the better,_ he tried to convince himself.

Seeing the house Jackie let out a low whistle "Daaaamn.... so this is how the 0.1% live, huh? Who even is this guy?"

"I don't know Jackie, but if we don't focus we'll soon find out not only who this guy is, but what kind if caliber he prefers"

Jackie raised his arms in mock surrender and then shrugged. V was right - it was time to focus.

"Ok, let's go. Stick to the plan, alright?" V asked

"Wait for you to disable the alarm, get the gate open while you go get the car, got it" Jackie nodded "I will stick around till I hear the engine turn on and then I'm out. Gotta make sure the pretty princess doesn't stub their toe first"

"Fuck you" said V trying to hold back a smile.

V moved to the north side of the property while Jackie went towards the gate. It was surprisingly easy to get over the wall. There were no security cameras pointed towards the side of the property which overlooked the city. Probably due to the fact that the house was up on a cliff, not like that would stop the two mercs. The house was big; two story high with tall windows. It was dark, but there was a dim light coming from the second floor. He moved across the lawn, so far he'd only encountered one camera which he promptly hacked. The area seemed clear. _Could it really be this easy?_ Across the lawn he could see the target - the car, which sat alone a bit further in the driveway.

"Security is off, I'm by the car" V signaled Jackie on the holo. Jackie almost immediately responded saying that the gate was open. All V had to do now was copy the car key and book it to the garage where they are supposed to meet up and finish the deal.

_Easy eddies._

................................

Kerry hadn't been able to sleep. For weeks now he'd been staying up late drinking, and plucking his guitar trying to write something, anything, but it proved time and time again he was all out of inspiration. His life had turned to uninspiring routine, he felt like his it was going into endless dull loop.

"Fucking writers block! You'd think they'd make cyberware, or a pill or something for that shit by now" Kerry swore putting the guitar down on the couch "Guess money can't buy creativity"

After a short moment of wallowing in self pity and cursing everything and everyone he turned off the TV which had been going on in the background, picked up the guitar he just discarded and made his way to put it back in its place. It was far too late and he was far too tired to write anything anyway. _Might as well try it tomorrow.... and the day after that ...and the day after that,_ Kerry thought bitterly.

He made his way down the stairs. A movement in the shadows caught his eye. "Huh?" said Kerry moving closer to where the shadow had been. He peered out of the window..... Nothing.... "I knew I shouldn't have drunk that liquor Henry got me from God knows where...." he grumbled to himself. But then, another movement. _No, someone for sure was out there_ Kerry though. _Where the hell were the security bots when you needed them?_ He quickly decided to grab his gun and deal with it himself.

................................

V had unlocked the car and the key was halfway done when cold metal pressed against his the back of head.

"Don't. Fucking. Move." a deep and, for some unknown reason, a familiar voice growled "hands up or I'll paint the windshield with your brain"

"Well if I can't move how am I supposed to lift my hands?" V tried to sound confident. Shit, of course the job had to be a disaster. It paid too much and seemed too easy

"Get out of the car, smart-ass. Who the hell put you up to this job, huh? Was it Kovachek? It was wasn't it? God fucking dammit!" the voice yelled V did as he was ordered and slowly got out, back still turned.

He considered his options then. He could play along and hope that his friend gets him out of the situation, or he could grab his gun and hope that he was a better shot than the man holding him at gunpoint. V decided to wait it out.

"Chill, choom. I don't know any Kovachek"

"Then who are you and your friend working with?"

_Fuck_ , V thought. His plan B was probably in the same situation he was. He needed to play it cool, till he would be able to disarm the guy.

"Look I tell you all you want to know, just lower the gun, we can talk like civilized people"

"Civilized? What you've been in this city for a day?" Kerry laughed taking a long look at the thief in front of him. He couldn’t tell much from looking at the man’s back other than the fact that he was well built "Fine. You want civilized then put the holster on the roof and then turn around"

Once again V did what was asked, he didn’t necessarily need his gun, he’d take the gun the man was holding one he’d disarmed him. While the guy had noticed the obvious holster around his belt, he didn't know about the knife in his jacket. If push came to shove, he could at least use the knife. V turned around and saw the man who was holding him at gunpoint. It finally clicked in his brain whose house this was, why that voice sounded familiar. V dropped his hands that had been raised.

"You're Kerry Eurodyne" V said a bit awkwardly

"Seriously? You're stealing my car and you got no idea whose property you're breaking in? What is this, amateur hour?" Kerry shook his head and relaxed his posture lowering the gun slightly. The man before him was younger than him, although the scowl which had been on his face just a second ago was intimidating. Now he was looking at Kerry with curiosity in his eyes. _He was handsome,_ thought Kerry. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

"I'm V"

"I mean your real name, kid" the musician rolled his eyes

"So you can call the police and give them all my details?"

"Better than just shooting you here. Besides, do you see any police around here?"

Somewhat reluctant, but willing to play along the mercenary spoke "My name's V---" before he was able to finish though, detained Jackie appeared slowly limping to them followed by two security robots. It was evident by the gash on his arm and the awkward movement that he had tried to take down the security, but had been caught off guard.

"V! Fancy seeing you here. Glad to see you in one piece" Jackie said a bit too cheerfully for the situation they were in

"Hey Jackie. Who are your new friends?" V shot back

"Me? How about you? You look awfully pleased with yourself considering you have a gun pointed at you"

Kerry lowered his gun by his side and shook his head at the exchange. _This was so bizarre. But... maybe this was exactly what he needed._ He nodded to one of the robots to release the intruder, knowing that the robot would have gathered any weapons from him, and told the other to get the holster from the car. He gestured towards both mercs "Come on, you're bleeding and I need another drink after this" He turned away and went inside the house not bothering to check if they would follow.

................................

V, stunned, looked at Kerry's retreating silhouette in the dark. _What was happening? First he wants to shoot us and now he's inviting us in for drinks?_ V was oddly intrigued. Not only because of the situation, but also he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed the man’s music.

"What do we do now, V?" hissed Jackie "Should we make a run for it? I doubt the robots will catch us. If you give me your knife I can stab the one with the funny hat in the leg and ---"

V interrupted Jackie’s hectic whispering with a definitive "I'm going in" and started marching after the rockerboy.

Jackie caught V by his arm "Are you insane? Did you not just get held at gunpoint? We need to get out! This job is fucked and we need to have a talk with Wakako, this is the second time she basically set us up for failure. _"No need for extra details"_ my ass _"_

"Jack, the job is already fucked, as you said. Do you know who the guy is? It's Kerry Eurodyne, probably the only person in NC who still makes decent music. I need to see where this goes. Don’t tell me you are not curious" with that V turned and went after Kerry

"Of course the dude had to be washed up rock star...." Jackie murmured to himself, but still followed. At least the rockerboy had promised him some medicine for the wound on his arm


	2. Chapter 2 - If You Can't Beat Them

Chapter 2 - If You Can't Beat Them

The first thing V noticed when entering the house behind Kerry was that it was in a total mess. _Guess that's rock star life for you_ , V thought. The second thing was the wide variety of musical instruments, but he didn't get any time to admire them or anything else for that matter, as Kerry was making a beeline for the bar. He stood behind the bar and pulled out some vodka and some gauze, which he handed it to Jackie.

"Uh.. thanks" said Jackie, wondering _why keep medical supplies there_ , but he wasn't about to question it. He started working on cleaning his wound.

"Here have a seat" Kerry gestured to the sofa by the bar "What's your poison?"

As odd as the situation was, V didn't hesitate and said "I'll take tequila"

Kerry smiled "A man after my own heart"

Jackie rolled his eyes at the exchange. Kerry turned his attention to Jackie as to ask for what he would to drink.

"I'll take the same.... Thanks" he said handing back now what remained of the gauze.

Kerry passed everyone their drinks and sat on the sofa across from them. He took a long look at the two thieves. The bigger one, Jackie apparently, looked like he was expecting Kerry to pull a gun on him any moment. As for the other one, he couldn't quite figure him out. Now that they were in the light it was possible for the musician to take a better look at him. The man was approximately the same height, with tattoos on his arm, messy hair and strong arms. It made him wonder why he hadn't made an attempt at disarming him or even pulling his own gun on Kerry. The merc's eyes though, they weren't cyberware and yet they felt more piercing than any chrome Kerry had seen. _There was more to him than meets the eye,_ Kerry thought.

Breaking the silence he said "Well this has to be the weirdest mugging I have been a part of" with a lopsided grin he added "A for effort though. Happens to you guys a lot?"

"Well this is for sure the first time I've been invited in for a drink by the guy I was trying to rob" chuckled Jackie

"Hmm" hummed Kerry "you still haven't told me who gave you the job. If it's not Kovachek then who?"

V didn't want to give up the information, but at this point, why not "A local fixer. They had a client willing to pay top eddies for the car. Can't say more than that. Merc's honor an all that" Despite the fact that the fixer had landed them face down on the ground, he wasn't about to give away Wakako, nor the fact that they went in the job blind, because they are pretty low on money and wanted to get more street cred.

"Well...." Kerry dragged, while sloshing his drink around in the crystal glass "seeing as you two tried to rob me and don't have the decency to even tell me who hired you I'd say you owe me big time"

Jackie and V glanced at each other. Whatever the man was about to propose wasn't going to be good news.

"Guess we do, yeah" V said hesitantly and Jackie just shrugged "If you need a merc for a reasonable job I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement"

Kerry shook his head no "I'm not interested in that. Well, not exactly anyway. I want a change of scenery"

"Meaning...?" Jackie interjected

"Meaning," Kerry said "I want to join you for your next gig"

Jackie burst out laughing. _Was he serious?_ "No. Out of the question. Pick something else. I don't know, isn't there something you'd like stolen or something?"

"Well we saw how good you are at that already, didn't we?" Kerry shot back

"Look, merc jobs are not exactly a walk in the park. No offence but I doubt you'd be able to sneak past Militech guards or dodge bullets that well" explained V

"Hey I'll remind you that I snuck up on you. Besides, I'm not asking you to be my bodyguard. All I want is to tag along"

"You say that like it's nothing"

"No, I say it as a guy who's not going to report you to the authorities"

V and Jackie looked at each other. It almost seemed like the two men had an entire conversation just by slight rise of brow.

"Fine" said V "If you stay in the car. We got a few jobs that don't seem too dangerous"

Kerry grinned and extended his arm to the mercenary's in front of him "I think we have a deal"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3 - Fascinating New Thing

Chapter 3 - Fascinating New Thing

It had been less than a week since one of the most bizarre days of V's life. First he got held at gunpoint, then invited in for drinks by the guy they were trying to rob, who also happened to be the only musician in Night City who still knew how to write good music and then the rock star he had coaxed the two mercenaries to take him out for a gig.

Being a man of his word and not trying to get out of the deal they had made, V picked a job that seemed the less dangerous of all and required the least effort. While back at the musician's house V was interested in learning what he had to say, he was more than happy to get rid of the debt and move on with his life. The rockerboy would probably complain about the gig, as it was nowhere near what Jackie and V usually did, but V didn't care.

V had called Kerry yesterday and told him that they have a gig he could come along for, so now there they were - all 3 of them sitting in V's old tuned up Thorton Colby CX410. They were just supposed to intimidate some goons who had been hanging around Tom's Diner. _Some young punks who'd scare easy_ , V thought. The pay was low, basically nothing at all, but considering why they were doing this, it would be enough.

"Ok I know we agreed I'd stay in the car, but come on! The parking is nowhere near the diner and the job is ridiculously easy. I'm coming with you" Kerry interrupted before V could interject "Don't worry I won't say anything, I'll even hang back a bit"

They exited the car and made their way to the diner passing the merchants on the street. The market was busy as always, but it was easy to spot the troublemakers from afar due to their neon jackets and colorful spiked hair. Just a few young Tyger Claws by the side of the building.

"Stay here" V directed Kerry to the main entrance of the diner.

Kerry did as asked, keeping a close eye on what was going to happen. It's been such a long time since he'd been down in Watson. _It was good, exactly what I needed - a breath of fresh air, or rather quite polluted air,_ he thought. Still, he was already feeling better than he had in weeks just sitting alone in his house trying to force himself to write something new.

The two mercenaries moved forward to the hooligans. Kerry could see one goon scamper off when they saw the two men approaching, but 3 stayed. After a short heated conversation the young Claws were practically shaking with fear. One of the Tygers pulled out a knife and was promptly disarmed by V who took him by the collar of his shirt and threw him on the ground. That seemed to be the last of the courage the goons had and they quickly fled the scene. It was safe to say that they wouldn't cause trouble here again.

"Well that's that" said Jackie to Kerry "Where should we drop you off?"

"Uh not so fast, big guy. I think this calls for a celebration, don't you think? Come on, let's go in, my treat" Kerry gestured towards the diner. Kerry wasn't going to let them off the leash that easy. Even if it meant just spending a bit more time in the busy district. Plus, he still wanted to learn more about V. The merc had intrigued him, as his mind had wondered to the man from time to time.

They entered the diner, which was mostly empty apart from some workers having lunch in a corner booth. Jackie made his way to the counter to greet the owner of the establishment while V pushed past Kerry gesturing for him to follow to the merc's favorite booth.

Kerry sat across him and spoke "So I'm guessing you come here a lot then? Nice place. Cozy."

V laughed "That's just another way of saying small. But yeah, ever since I moved here this has been my go to place for some chow"

"Huh...." Kerry hummed. After a moment he spoke "Let me guess, you're from Badlands?"

"From the West actually, but close enough" V smiled and gave the man a nod "What gave it away?"

Kerry chuckled "Oh please. You drive a Thorton, your gear is old but well maintained, you're reserved, and that patch" he pointed at V's jacket which was adorned with a palm sized embroidered patch featuring a wolf with the words _Copper Wolves_ "is not only on your jacket, but on your car as well. You're not exactly subtle about being a Nomad, or at the every least not being from Night City"

"You're always this perceptive?"

"No, you're just interesting to observe" Kerry raised his eyebrow in a challenge

V was about to respond, but Jackie plopped next to him with a loud huff passing around drinks he got at the counter "I took the liberty of getting us the house special. Milly said she'd be over here in a second with the pizza" Jackie nodded at Kerry "Hope you don't mind Eezybeef and extra cheese. Oh and Tom said that since we got rid of the Tygers the lunch is on the house" he took a drink of the NiCola he brought "So what were you two chatting about?"

"Oh, nothing much, just discussing the city" replied Kerry

"Pff boring. I'd rather hear about the life of a rock star. Must be exciting living in a million eddie house, playing shows and travelling the world!"

 _It cost a lot more than a million,_ thought Kerry, _not that it mattered_ "I love travelling. I might be from NC, but I have roots in the Philippines, so I like to make a visit when I am able to. As for music, well, there's nothing better than the high you get from being on a stage" Kerry reminisced "Writing sucks sometimes though" he added with an awkward laugh

 _Is that why he's doing this?_ V thought. _He needs new material?_ Before V could decide weather or not to comment on it the waitress came with their food.

"Here you go, the house special and an extra round of drinks courtesy of Tom" said Milly "If you need anything just holler" with a smile she turned and left.

They took their time eating and chatting. All three of them were surprised by how easily the conversation flowed. It felt like they had been friends for a long time. They talked about a gig that apparently involved Jackie dressing up as a clown to distract people at a birthday party while V snuck into their house and stole a real panther skin. They also talked about how Kerry had been banned from a night club after he and his old band mates almost burned the entire place down trying to teach Kerry how to juggle with some torches they had found backstage.

V was in the middle of telling about the time he tried to go hunting for the first time during his childhood in the West, when his holo started ringing. He reluctantly answered seeing as it was Padre.

Kerry couldn't make out what the person on the other side of the holo was saying, but the sudden mood shift couldn't mean anything good.

"Hmm" nodded V while listening to what the person on the other side of the call "yes.... yes, I understand.... urgent... of course, we will be there"

The call ended and V stood up "We need to go. Padre needs us to retrieve some information. He said it's very time sensitive matter" With a nod Jackie stood up and made his way to the exit, while V turned to Kerry "Look, we don't have time to drop you off at your place, so what do you say, you're in for another gig? I gotta warn you though, it will not be as easy as this one, so it's for the best if this time you actually stayed in the car where it's safe. Plus, not being noticed is crucial"

"Sounds like it should be interesting" Kerry replied moving to follow Jackie, but not before leaving a roll of eddies under the now empty plate.


	4. Chapter 4 - Rebel Rebel

Chapter 4 - Rebel Rebel

The ride from Tom's Diner to the Glen, where the job was supposed to take place, took a bit of time. Most of it was spent discussing tactics and what equipment they would bring with them. Kerry let the two men speak among themselves and just enjoyed the ride, taking in the sights of the city and occasionally glancing at the two men. He couldn't give much input on breaking into a warehouse and stealing data for a fixer. Kerry wasn't no stranger to crime, but he'd never gone into something so large. Back in the day he'd often gotten in trouble, occasionally pick-pocketing, trespassing, getting into fights, especially when Johnny was around, but he never really snuck in a building full of armed guards.

When they finally arrived at the location they parked the car across the street from the back entrance of the warehouse.

"Stay in the car. Keep the engine running in case we need to get away quick" V told Kerry as he left the car with Jackie.

Kerry watched the two men make their way to the gate. With a few fluid motions they disabled the alarm and were over the fence. With that they disappeared from Kerry's view.

5 minutes passed... 10 minutes.... 15... Kerry was getting bored and anxious. _Should it really take this long?_ _The warehouse wasn't even that big._ He'd poked around the car for a bit, found nothing interesting and had resigned to just sitting and watching the streets once more. He sat there drumming his fingers against the side of the car when he heard a window break, then came an intangible shout. It sounded like it was coming from the building. Kerry stepped out of the car and, against better judgment, followed the noises coming from the warehouse.

He was now at the side of the building's tall fence when he heard a muffled voice call "He's running with the case! Fuck! Get him V! I got this!" he could hear several gunshots and then saw a lanky man round the corner running right at Kerry at full speed. In his panic, the man carrying a computer case hadn't seen Kerry standing there. Without putting much thought into it, Kerry swung his fist at the running man, which landed right on the guy's right eye. The man with the case went down on the concrete with a thud, just as V rushed over.

V just stood there for a brief second, slightly stunned and then let out a loud laugh "Nice shot Kerry!"

V was slightly taken back by the sight of the rockerboy. The musician stood there, focused on the man on the ground, his chest having and his arm shaking just slightly, probably due to adrenaline, or maybe the pain that he sure would be feeling sooner or later.

Kerry switched his attention from the man on the ground to V. He enjoyed the compliment, but he couldn't help but to tease the merc "What happened to _"stealth is crucial"_ , huh?"

V smirked and shot back "What happened to staying in the car?"

Kerry smirked and said "Well, I never was good at following rules"

A winded Jackie appeared from the corner "Did you get him V?! Did you get that bastard?! Did you-- "

"I didn't get him, Jack"

"WHAT?! HE WAS RIGHT THERE, V!"

With a laugh he replied "Relax. Kerry got him!"

"What?" Jackie said breathless and confused. Once he saw the man on the ground he let out a booming laugh "Preem work there rockerboy, Padre will be happy. Maybe we should take you to gigs more often, huh?" he said and gave a Kerry a supportive slap on the back.

Jackie knelt down and passed the computer to Kerry while he gestured V to help him pick the man up. They moved the unconscious man in the backseat of the car and Jackie climbed in after him, gesturing Kerry to take the shotgun seat.

They rode to Padre's place in high spirits, having done a good job for the Valentino fixer. Kerry couldn't help but glance at the man behind the wheel. The stoic nomad was grinning like a fool the entire ride chatting with his friend in the backseat, occasionally involving Kerry in the conversation. _That's a nice smile,_ Kerry thought, _it suited him_. _It lit up the merc's face and made his otherwise hard features kind and open. He was rugged. Handsome. And the way his hair fell -- no,_ Kerry shook his head, _it was pointless to even go this way. This would be the last time they meet_.

.......................

Once they arrived at the meeting location Jackie dragged the still unconscious man inside while V passed the case to Padre.

"Who's the man in the car" Padre asked the merc 

"That's the man who knocked out the guy who's been leaking your info"

"Then I would like to thank him personally for the good work" said Padre, somewhat offended by the shown disrespect

"I don't think that's such a good idea" said V. While Kerry hadn't been recognized at the market, he didn't think it would be a good idea for him meet the fixer of Valentinos. If someone snitched the situation would definitely blow up in Kerry's face. He doubted that the rockerboy would like the tabloids to paint him as a criminal. Plus, being associated with gang members wasn't exactly safe. So V leaned closer and whispered to Padre.

Kerry had been following the exchange from the car when the fixer said something to V, nodded at the merc and turned to Kerry offering the man in the car a slight bow. Kerry wasn't sure how to react to the gesture, so he just nodded at the man. This seemed to satisfy the fixer, as he turned away, said something to V and left.

.......................

The ride back to Kerry's house was silent. It almost felt eerie. They had dropped off Jackie by Misty's as he had a "Cita with the most beautiful woman in all of Night City" and couldn't "Play babysitter for to ancianos" any longer, as he put it.

Kerry couldn't take the awkward silence any longer and turned on the radio. By the sigh V let out, he seemed to appreciate the distraction. Kerry went though the stations, it all felt like the same soulless noise in different tones. Flipping to the next station he recognized an Us Cracks song "Ugh...this bullshit" he muttered to himself.

"Here" V handed Kerry a small stack of CDs "You can pick one of these if you'd like, just put it in the player and turn to channel 9"

Kerry let out a whistle "CDs, old school. Can't remember last time I used one in my car" he chuckled

"Can't beat the real deal"

"Hmm" Kerry hummed in agreement and started flipping though the discs reading their contents which were written on the paper sleeves "AC/DC, Def Leppard, Queen, Kiss.... aren't you a bit too young to even remember these?"

"Good music transcends age"

"Can't argue with that" Kerry nodded still flipping though CDs when one caught his eye. He smiled and read aloud "CD 6 The Heist: Samurai - The Ballad Of BR; Guns N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle; Black Sabbath - Paranoid; KE - Chippin' in..." he stopped at that one turning to V expecting the merc to try and wiggle his way out of the situation "I'm flattered, honestly, to have my humble songs positioned among legends"

V simply shrugged "You make good music, so what?" he smiled

Kerry didn't reply. He slid the CD into the player. After a long while of just enjoying the music Kerry simply said "You might have the best music taste of anyone I've met"

.......................

They turned into Kerry's driveway and V killed the engine. "I think this concludes our arrangement" he said extending his arm towards Kerry. He took it, noticing how warm and strong it felt, before giving it a good shake.

"I believe it does. Thanks for today" Kerry said, surprised by the genuineness in his in own voice. Today was probably the most interesting day he had in months, which had been filled with board meetings with his manager and late nights of writing. He cleared his throat "Seeing as you technically took me to two gigs, I'd like to offer a bonus, for a work well done" he said trying to offer V some eddies.

V shook his head "Seeing as **you** caught the mole for Pade, I'd say we're more than even. Besides, he already paid us for the job" he added with a shrug and a small smile.

Kerry was about to argue when he realized it would be pointless. Nobody's more stubborn than a nomad who's made up their mind.

"Right, of course" Kerry said opening the car door, but not stepping out "Let me know if you have any other gigs where you need me to save your ass" Kerry said with a smile, teasing the merc. He was serious though, he wouldn't mind tagging along to more jobs. It certainly beat drinking alone in an empty house, forcing himself to write, just to be proved again and again that he couldn't.

V shook his head, now with a full smile on his lips "I have to say, I didn't think you'd have it in you"

"What? A decent right hook?"

"No, the courage to even come along, let alone get out of the car and get involved"

"Pfff" Kerry puffed "Please, it's not like I'm a stranger to life of crime"

"Oh yeah? You watch a lot of buddy cop movies in your free time or something?"

Kerry was silent for a moment, debating weather or not to respond to what V had said. "Back in the day, when Samurai was just starting out, we lived gig to gig. We mostly slept in the van. Well, that is till the label picked us up. There were days we had to steal to be able to eat. Sometimes we were just asking for trouble for the sake of it, although that was mostly on Johnny... So it's not like I have no clue what happens out on the streets"

"Oh....." V rubbed the back if his neck feeling awkward "Look, I'm so--"

"Don't be. Today reminded me how lucky I am to be where I am and how the real world - the world beyond a golden fence works" exiting the car Kerry added "Besides, it was fun" he leaned in a bit "Might even write a song about the daring adventures of a down on his luck poet and a handsome mercenary" he winked, closing the car door and entering his house.


	5. Chapter 5 - Always Something There To Remind Me

Chapter 5 - Always Something There To Remind Me

V took the long road home. It was late and the way back was lengthy as it is, but he didn't mind. He needed to clear his head after a long day. He couldn't stop thinking about the musician. The conversations they had in the diner, them talking about music, the way the man hadn't hesitated to get involved in when they needed his help, their last conversation. _No, not last,_ V thought, _it was their final conversation_. _They were strangers from different walks of life._

It was 4 a.m. when he finally got home and fell in the bed exhausted.

................

V woke up late. He had nowhere to be for a while. There were no jobs he needed to do today, so he could spend it doing chores which he had plenty of. He needed to clean his gear and stock up on ammunition. He had also promised to take a look at his friend River's car. It had been having issues for a while now and River was useless as a mechanic. Besides, it would be nice to make a visit.

V got up to get dressed. With a sigh he thought, _well add laundry to the list of chores I must do_. He rifled thought a box of long forgotten shirts in the furthest corner of his small closet. The shirts had been the ones he had brought with him when coming to NC. Half of them with holes, he picked up one after another. "Huh" he said picking up his old Samurai T-shirt. The logo was barely visible, but at least it was in one piece. _Beggars can't be choosers,_ he thought and put it on. The faded logo made V's mind wondered back to yesterday, to Kerry. He shook his head and left the apartment.

................

It had been 3 days since they had paid their due to Kerry.

V was making his way to the NC's loading bay to pick up a shipment from the West. He'd been looking forward to this for the whole month. As much as he appreciated his time in the city, or rather the amenities it had, nothing could beat being out there on the road with his clan. While he wasn't able to return to the West any time soon, the occasional packages would be enough. When V felt particularly homesick, he'd go out in the Badlands and just spend the night camping in the desert listening to music. While it wasn't the same as driving though Arizona or camping in Colorado it would do.

Seeing as he had to wait for the package to be processed, he turned on the radio. Instead of being greeted by one of the radio stations, the CD started playing. _Kerry had chosen it,_ V thought. _The Heist._ Named after the time he stole the engine for his car when he was still a teen. It had been the most important day of his life. The engine had been the final piece before he would have his own car and he'd become a full member of the Wolves.

V turned the music louder and enjoyed the rhythm of the song shake the car.

/I'm Chippin' In

Chippin' In/

................

It had been 4 days since their last gig, delivering Padre the information he needed. Today was Friday and it wasn't going to be an easy day. Jackie and V had been given a hit job by Reyes. Apparently some 6th Street goon had exhausted his welcome. The location was absolutely awful to traverse. A wide street occupied by the goons, which ended into an empty rainwater canal made into a makeshift shelter. _There wouldn't be any cover in case of a shootout,_ V noted.

Jackie and V managed to take out a considerable amount of guards without being noticed when they had cornered the man in question in his tent. They made a quick work of him without triggering the alarm. The two mercs slipped out of the camp the same way they entered and headed back to their vehicles, which had been parked further away.

"I think I'm gonna go get some coffee, you coming with?" asked V stepping into his Thorton

"Sorry, choom. Promised Mama Welles I'd be back early. She apparently has some errands she needs me to do. Next time though" Jackie said, stepping on his Arch and with a wave drove off.

It was early evening when V entered a coffee shop he found along his way home. He ordered coffee and sat by the bar enjoying the hot beverage and the low chatter coming from other customers and the TV in the corner.

".... Kerry Eurodyne is working on a new album!"

V's head snapped to the TV.

"The new album allegedly will be released in June! It seems that soon we will have another album from the NC's favourite rockerboy. Can you believe it? After 3 years of radio silence we are sure it will be an absolute killer!"

V smiled to himself, _apparently the day out had done Kerry some good_.

................

Kerry had spent the past 4 days writing down notes. While his writer's block hadn't completely disappeared, the wall in his mind had started to crumble, letting some creativity seep thought the cracks. It wasn't much, but he had written down a page of music and a half page with lyrics. He wrote and rewrote stuff, only bothering to write down anything that had potential. Whenever the melody stopped flowing, he thought back to the day he spent with the two mercs. The rush he felt when he knocked out the man, the easy conversation in the diner. He thought of V then, of the light teasing and the moment they'd shared in the car. He couldn't help but wonder what the merc was up to now.

Kerry had a monthly meeting with his manager Kovachek this Friday.

Kerry entered the tall building of the record company and made his way to Kovachek's office. Amy, his manager's assistant, led the musician into the office where the man was pacing around the room yelling on his holo "I don't care whether or not he feels unsafe, he either goes on the stage or the label is dropping him! He hasn't produced any usable material in years and now he refused to perform?! He's useless!" with that he cut the link and turned to Kerry, his expression turning from that of an angry radish to one of a person who'd just heard the best news of their life.

"Kerry, my dear, how have you been?" The manager said in an upbeat voice.

Kerry didn't buy the tone change "Well better than whoever was on the opposite side of the call...."

"Oh don't worry about that. We're here to talk about you and how that new album has been working out! You've got it ready yet?"

"It's been a month since we had this exact conversation... No, I don't have an album for you. Art takes time."

"Don't get snappy." Kovachek warned, his cheerfulness gone in an instant "The investors are on my ass they want you to make a new album and they want it now. Plus, the tour managers have been bugging me, they have an artist lined up for you to tour with, but you need new material before you can do that. Either you produce it soon or you'll make me lose both the investors and the tour. Do you have any idea how much that costs?"

"Look, there's not going to be a new album any time soon, so you might as well say goodbye to those eddies now" Kerry argued back

Kovachek was starting to turn red again, but managed to keep his voice level "I am sending over a music coach. This is obviously not going anywhere. I can't wait 3 years for new music"

Now it was Kerry's time to get mad "That's out of the fucking question! Who do you take me for, some punk playing on the street not able to put four chords together?"

"Well it's either that or you give me something. Or are you forgetting your contact?"

Kerry let out a sigh "Look, I have one page of a melody I have written down. I think it might go somewhere eventually. But for that I need time and lots of it. The last thing I need right now is some snooty asshole coaching me and breathing down my neck"

That seemed to satisfy the annoying man "Fine. Go. Do your thing. We'll meet next month"

Kerry shook his head and left the building. He hadn't wanted to tell his manager about the short moment of creativity that he'd experienced over the last four days, but he wasn't going to let some asshole come to his house and nag him to sell out and write soulless shit.

Kerry's mood hadn't improved when he finally got home. He poured himself some bourbon and made his way to the couch. He kicked his feet up on the table and turned on the TV. He flipped though the channels for a while till something caught his attention

"Kerry Eurodyne's manager Mr. Kovachek has announced that Kerry Eurodyne is working on a new album! The new album allegedly will be released in June! It seems that soon we will have another album from the NC's favorite rockerboy. Can you believe it? After 3 years of radio silence we are sure it will be an absolute killer!"

Kerry's jaw almost hit the floor along with the glass containing his drink "Motherfucker!"

The glass slipped out of Kerry's hand and shattered


	6. Chapter 6 - If You Want Blood (You Got It)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extra chapter today! Enjoy!

Chapter 6 - If You Want Blood (You Got It)

It was Saturday and V aimed to spend the entire day at River's. He was hosting a BBQ as a thanks for the car repairs that V had done. In reality it was an excuse to just shoot the shit and drink beer in the middle of the day.

River had lit the grill and was preparing food, while V was sitting on one of the plastic chairs by the table sipping beer. The kids were playing in the background while Joss was in the town, finally having some time for herself, now that the kids had not one, but two babysitters. Neither of them minded though. River loved spending time with the kids and helped out as often as his new job as a PI allowed him. 

"So anyway, turned out that his glass eye was actually stuck at the back of his head the entire time!" River laughed "Can you believe it? .... V? Hello? Earth to V"

V snapped his eyes to the ex-cop "Oh. Sorry River, yes that's funny" he said offering a weak smile

"Uh huh. You didn't hear a thing of what I said"

"No..." the nomad answered honestly "My mind wondered, can you say it again?"

River waved him off "Nah, it's fine. Something's obviously on your mind. Do you wish to share it with the class?"

"I'm fine, River"

"Look, if you're in trouble or something you know you can--"

"No, I know. I mean, of course, thanks, but it's really nothing" V fumbled "No need to worry" the merc forced his best fake smile and River let the topic go.

"So.... since you don't wanna talk about whatever is happening up there" he pointed at V's head "why don't you man the grill for a sec while I prepare the salad"

"Sure" V switched places with his friend "Oh, by the way remember the painting I found? The one in the desert? So it turns out that--" V was interrupted mid sentence by a hum from his holo. The screen was flashing the initials K.E.. He let it ring for a beat, first wondering if he was seeing it right and then wondering what could Kerry even be calling about.

V finally answered with an awkward "Yes?"

.................

Kerry hadn't been able to sleep. He'd been pacing around the house half of the night trying to make sense of the situation. His manager had purposely put him on the spot, not only in front of investors or the media, but also his fans, just after they had a conversation where Kerry had explained how he needed time now more than ever to focus on his creativity. He probably hadn't even waited for Kerry to exit the building before making calls to the marketing team, telling them to contact any news source that would pay for the information. Kerry was seeing red. He'd spent the time trying to figure out how to get back at him. He wasn't just gonna let it slide. Kovachek had to pay for stepping over the line this badly.

Kerry knew that Kovachek would be out of town, as the bastard was spending Kerry's hard earned money on another vacation. This meant that his house was empty. He knew his manager put a lot of money into designing the mansion, filling it with the most expensive shit he could find for the sake of creating an illusion of status. Kovachek had overstepped the boundary and Kerry knew exactly where to strike. Trouble is, he couldn't manage it alone. He needed someone who would help him, someone up to the task, someone he could trust. None of his current band mates would be up for it, and for that matter none of his old band mates would either. Nancy and Denny had their own thing going and Henry... well he didn't trust Henry. He could ask Rogue, he still kept in touch with her, but he doubted she would be bothered to put in the effort, she'd probably tell him to just forget it. There was.... one person he could call. So he did.

He got up his courage and called V. The merc picked up after the 4th ring, long enough for Kerry to start second guessing himself

"Yes?" the merc said bluntly answering the call

"Aww is that how you greet your favorite musician?" Kerry teased trying to mask his nervousness

"It sounds like your ego is big enough as it is" V teased back "Just making sure you stay grounded"

Kerry noted how the merc hadn't corrected him. He wasn't going to question whether or not is was simply out of politeness and just let himself enjoy the notion. With that he relaxed a bit.

Struggling not to make an inappropriate joke about just how big his ego is Kerry replied "Well, seeing as now I'm a big shot mercenary it's difficult to stay humble, but I try"

V chuckled and said "The student surpasses the teacher, is that it?"

Kerry was about to answer as he heard someone in the background yell "Ey! V wake up you're going to burn the food!"

V swore and Kerry asked "Hope I am not interrupting anything...?"

"No, not at all!" V said probably a bit too eagerly. He cleared his throat and added "So... should I congratulate you on your new album?"

"Yeah about that.... As much as I would love for this to be just a social call, that's actually why I called you. I need your help"

"I'm flattered, but I'm not sure if I'm that good of a lyricist"

Kerry smirked "I'm sure you'd do fine"

"So what's up? Are you in trouble or...?" V replied now seriously, sounding concerned.

"There's something I need help with. A mercenary work if you will" Kerry hesitated and then added "Look, I can't do it alone. It is important. My manager screwed me over hard and I am not just gonna take it sitting down. I will pa--"

V interrupted the musician and said "Just tell me when and where. I'll be there"

Kerry let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding

.................

After the line went silent V turned to River who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Would that be the thing that's making you sit in a chair, looking at the sky drooling?"

"What? No, of course not!" V said a bit too defensively

"Uh huh. Well, when you are ready to talk about it, I'm here. Would love to hear the story"

"I have no idea what you are implying" V said and River shrugged, raising his hands in mock surrender.

.................

Kerry had asked V to meet him at midnight in the part of the city which was made into a gated community - the part of the city which hosted only the richest of its inhabitants. During the few years he'd been in NC, V has never come up this far. Considering that even the fixers he worked with didn't touch this district, unless absolutely necessary, made him uneasy.

He drove up the meeting spot, a small paved area up on a hill, not far from the fence that secured the fancy houses. Kerry was already there, leaned against a car which definitely wasn't the one V had tried to steal.

Parking beside him, V killed the engine, got out and approached the musician. The man looked like he hadn't slept in days. Even in the dark he could see the circles around the man’s eyes, his hair was a mess, as well as his slumped posture. V had heard the tiredness in his voice during their conversation earlier, even if the musician had tried to hide it.

"Hey" said V nodding

The musician stood, straightening up and in chipper voice said "What? No _"yes"_?" Kerry said in his best imitation of V's voice. "You wound me" he added with a fake pout, which turned into a lopsided grin.

_He puts on a good act,_ V thought. He could see right through it, though.

V smiled back "I'll save that for the next time you ask me to drive 3 hours to an undisclosed location in the middle of the night"

"Yeah, exciting isn't it? What if it's just an excuse for me to see you?" Kerry added boldly still grinning

"Then I would have worn something more appropriate"

That made Kerry take in the V's appearance. He was wearing his usual jacket, dark jeans and a t-shirt, which showed off his arms. He looked dangerous and enticing. Kerry shook away the thoughts "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Sure. So how are we doing this?"

"Leave your car here, we'll take this one though the gates" he knocked on the unassuming car "I know the code, so we shouldn't raise any concerns from the guard watching the cameras"

V nodded and took the equipment he thought he might need and put it in the backseat of Kerry's car.

They drove the short distance in silence. Exactly as Kerry had said - they had no trouble getting though the gate and the security guard didn't even raise his head at the two men.

They drove though the territory passing by bigger and smaller luxury houses till they stopped by seemingly the furthest one. The house was behind another fence, the building itself was white and one story high, the yard around the house was extensive littered with different color flower bushes and weird marble statues. They parked the car near the gate entrance and V followed Kerry's lead, as the musician seemed very determined to get on with whatever he was planning.... the car door sure felt Kerry's enthusiasm as it was slammed shut with way too much force.

"Can you get the gate open?" Kerry asked

"Hmm. The lock doesn't look to be too difficult. Are there any security triggers on the lawn? Cameras?" V said and started working on the lock.

"No. There's one on each corner of the house. Can you disable them?"

"Sure, just give me a moment. And make sure that no neighbors are eyeing us"

"They shouldn't be a problem. Rarely anyone is home in this time of year"

Once V was done with the lock they moved towards the house. It didn't take much effort to break the lock and get rid of the alarm. Once inside V asked "So what now?"

"Now" Kerry said moving to the fake fireplace and picking up an iron poker "We make Kovachek pay for what he did. Grab something, will ya? And make sure it ends up in a hundred pieces" Kerry started moving towards a room down the hallway hitting a vase, which probably cost a lot more than V earned in a year. It shattered with a loud crash making V cringe. Next item in Kerry's way, which happened to be a fancy looking clock, got the same treatment as the vase.

"Well don't just stand there, help me while I deal with his bedroom! Pick something, anything!" Kerry said and disappeared in the back room.

V could hear something being thrown in the room that Kerry went into. After hesitating for a moment V turned around to take in his surroundings. There was a bust of a man looking particularly pompous, so after a small pause he went to it picked it up and threw it across the living room. It landed by the fireplace breaking into three pieces, in the process scratching the wooden flooring. Trying not to think of what it might be worth, V picked up a painting impaling it on the antlers, which were mounted nearby. Then he moved to the dining table which he flipped along with everything on it.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Nice work!" said Kerry entering the room behind the merc, holding now a bent poker, which he threw to the side "Help me with this" Kerry said and moved to a book case. The two men tipped it over and went to work on whatever they could get their hands on next.

After a while of pure mayhem the two men were exhausted. Kerry looked even worse for wear than before. "I think that's that" said Kerry leaning against a wall "There's just one final thing" with that he went to the exit door, but not before picking up some keys from a rack.

Kerry moved out of the house "Wait here" the musician said, directing V, as he went inside the garage.

After a short moment the man drove out with a shiny new Herrera Outlaw. Someone obviously had taken good care of it. He parked the car in the middle of the lawn and got out. He quickly made his way to the car they had arrived with and picked something up from the trunk. _Gasoline,_ V noted. The musician proceeded to douse the car with it, but V interjected "Uhh, Kerry, I'm all about getting back at your manager, but is this not a bit too dangerous? The car's gas tan---"

"He needs to know how serious this is!"

Realizing that there's not much he can do to stop Kerry's blood lust, he resigned to just making sure he'd be safe. Once the musician was done dousing the car, V made sure to drag him away a considerable distance from the car.

"Would you like to do the honors?" asked Kerry offering V a lighter

V took it, lit it and threw. The car went up in flames. V moved back a bit, making sure to move Kerry along with him

"We should go now" the nomad said

"Wait one moment; I want to watch it a little bit longer"

"Kerry the security is definitely on its way and it could blo---"

With the sound of cracking metal the car exploded, shrapnel going all directions

"Shit! Are you ok?" asked V turning to Kerry

"Yeah. Yeah of course I'm fine. All is fine" with that Kerry fainted. V managed to catch him, slowly laying him in the grass. There was a sharp piece of metal sticking out of Kerry's leg


	7. Chapter 7 - Bad Medicine

Chapter 7 - Bad Medicine

"Shit!" V said picking up Kerry and dragging him to a safer location. They needed to get out. Now. If the fire hadn't warned the security that something was off, the sound from the explosion sure would. He picked up the musician carefully and moved him into the car, shoving his duffel bag off the seat, so that Kerry would have the room to lie down.

Getting into the driver’s seat, the nomad floored it, making the car leave a cloud of smoke behind it. He took a different gate out of the fenced in area than the one they took coming in, having to ram the barrier with their getaway vehicle. The nomad could hear the police sirens in the distance. _The nearby security cameras would sure have seen the car by now,_ the merc thought. Once he got to their initial meeting place he swapped cars, making sure to move Kerry's leg as little and as gently as possible. It was difficult, but he managed to move the man and they were once again on the road, leaving the half wrecked car by the hill.

...................

Once V was sure he had lost the police he turned into a side street getting out of the driver’s seat and moving to the unconscious man. He rifled though his bag and picked up a medicine case. V needed to take care of the injury as soon as possible. He hadn't had a good look at Kerry's leg before due to the chaotic mess of it all, so he didn't yet know how bad the musician's wound was. V picked up his knife and ripped open the fabric around the injured man's leg. The wound was somewhat deep, but fortunately it wasn't so bad that V had to look for a ripperdoc. Thankfully being a Nomad and mercenary had taught him how to handle such injuries, so he was able to treat the wound properly and quickly.

...................

Kerry woke up with a start, practically jumping out of the bed.

"Whoa easy!" a familiar voice said "You can't move your leg like that or you risk opening up the wound"

Kerry looked around. It was sunny outside. He was in his house....In his bed....Without his jeans on. At the side of the bed was V, sitting on the small sofa in the corner

"What time is it?" the dazed man asked

"Should be about 2:30 p.m." answered V "You were out pretty long"

"What happened?" asked Kerry, still very much confused

"Well after your genius idea of burning your manager’s car, it exploded. A piece of shrapnel hit your leg pretty bad. I think you passed out from a mix of exhaustion and pain. But don't worry, I bandaged it and it should be fine in no time" the merc said offering Kerry a smile "Just don't put a lot of pressure on it yet. You can walk, but carefully, otherwise you might reopen the wound. I put some EZStichez on it, so it should hold though slow movements" V explained

It was a lot for Kerry to take in "Uh huh....." after a moment he added "How did we get here?"

"Well I had to haul your ass from one car to another and then I just drove. Speaking off, sorry, but I had to abandon your car"

Kerry waved him off. The last thing he cared about was a car he'd bought off some punks on the street a few hours earlier "Oh. Uhh... Thanks for taking care of it" Kerry said a bit sheepishly gesturing to the general direction of his leg

"Don't mention it" V shrugged

The silence stretched and V said "Well.... now that you are awake and back to your senses I should probably go--"

"No!" said Kerry sounding a bit too eager "Uhh... I mean you can stay if you want. Not moving much today probably, so uhh.... I wouldn't mind the company. That is, if you are not busy, of course" he looked at the man standing before him then. V was in the same clothes as yesterday, minus his signature jacket, which was slung over the side of the sofa. He looked like he hadn't slept in a while.

"Um. Sure. Yeah. I don't have plans for today" for a moment they just stared at each other. V gestured awkwardly to the stairs "So I'm gonna go downstairs, let you get ready"

"Right, yeah" nodded Kerry "Meet you there in a minute. We should get some food!" he smiled

V returned the smile and left.

...................

After getting dressed Kerry found V inspecting the grand piano in the middle of the room.

"Hey, so I'm thinking we could order some Thai food. There's this great place not far from here and they do deliveries." Kerry said

"Sure, sounds good"

"Cool" Kerry made the order and pointed towards the piano "Do you play?"

"Nah, but I can appreciate the instrument. Feels like it's a lot of effort to learn"

"Would you like me to play something for you?" Kerry asked

 _Like wouldn't even begin to describe it,_ thought V "Only if it doesn't affect the leg...."

"Pff nah. Come, sit down" Kerry pointed to the bench

Both men squeezed on the bench, it was a tight fit, but neither of them said anything

"Anything particular you'd like to request?"

V shook his head no "Just go with your gut"

So he did. Kerry started off easy with something he is used to, playing a slightly modified piano cover of Archangel. It was difficult for the musician to focus with the entire left side of V pressed up against him.

After a moment Kerry moved on to the next song. Remembering the CDs Kerry had flipped though in the merc's car, he picked one of the songs from the list and gave it his best try. Kerry had never previously practiced the song, which made him misplay some notes, as he was trying to recreate what he remembered, but it seemed that the man next to him didn't mind at all. In fact, the nomad was having trouble keeping a huge grin off his face. That was all the encouragement Kerry needed. He started playing other songs that were and weren't featured on V's lists, sometimes switching mid song to create his own tune.

A sound from the gate buzzer made the two men jump. Neither of them had noticed how much time they had spent by the piano.

...................

Kerry didn't admit it, but it was evident that the musician was tired from his performance, so they had moved to eat their dinner by the TV upstairs, leaving the volume on low, they were occasionally chatting and eating.

The conversation had moved to V's time in the West. Kerry had wanted to know more about his time out in the "wild" and the family there, and the Nomad was all too happy to talk about his clan.

"So what do you have to do to be accepted into the clan?" asked Kerry munching on some fried rice

"Well, if your family or loved one is in the clan then you are by default considered to be at least an honorary member of the clan, but if you want to be a true member, meaning you would be able choose on what gigs you wanna go and be able to veto something without question, you know, perks such as that, then you have to go though the rite of passage, so to say" Kerry enjoyed how enthusiastic the nomad got when he talked about where he used to live, so he just sat back and continued listening "It's not hard, it's more a symbolic and practical thing. You basically have to get yourself a car. You see, we move around a lot, so you must be able to come along. Of course, if you are too young or elderly or simply don't have the means to be able to move solo there are exceptions. Nobody's gonna be left behind or treated less because of it or anything similar"

Kerry nodded along, encouraging the man to continue "So that's how you got your car?"

"Yeah. Practically built it from ground up. Everyone told me not to do it, but I was determined. I wanted it to be mine - to earn it" the nomad explained with a hint of pride in his voice "I had to gather the parts I needed before we moved again and I would have to leave the metal frame behind, so it was quite tough. Was worth it though" V let out a small laugh reminiscing about the past "Actually stole the engine - the last piece, a day before the clan was packing up and moving. Was preparing for the heist the entire month, so I don't mess up the only chance I had" V smiled "That's the CD you chose to play, by the way. The one I made for that day"

Kerry smiled and nodded "That would explain the title" Kerry remembered the song choices on it, his song had been there. A flash of happiness and pride shot though him. For a moment they just looked at each other. Something unspoken passed between them. Some form of deep understanding. Longing. Something... more.

The spell was broken with a familiar name on the TV "...L.B. Kovachek's house has been vandalized. Today at approximately 2 a.m. the NCPD received a call about an explosion at the Picos Verdes community. The police rushed over, to seemingly find little to no trace of whoever was involved. There are speculations that it might be retaliation from the Mealstrom gang, due to escalating territory issues. We will bring you more information as the case develops...."

"Hah, Maelstrom" Kerry huffed a laugh "Seems like our little rendezvous in the rich district didn't go unnoticed"

"You know, you never exactly told me why we did it"

"I'm sure you can put the two and two together"

"I'd rather hear your side of the story, than judge from any second hand information"

Kerry could appreciate the notion. With a sigh he said "Look, I've been stuck in a loop of creativity drought for years. The evening you broke in trying to steal my car I was up here banging my head against the wall trying to write something, anything, like I had for weeks. But after that day, out in the city, I uhh..." Kerry scratched the back of his neck "well I kind of started writing again. Not much, but I got some lyrics and a bit of melody down. I got no clue where it will go. I need time for that"

After a sigh the musician continued "I made the mistake of telling that to Kovachek, because he was threatening to sic a " _musical guide_ " on me. Pff" Kerry spat "That's just code for giving me a babysitter who will force me to write some shallow bullshit for the sake of having written something. So I let it slip that I might have one page of melody, so he would just get off of my back. Instead of leaving me alone though, he just took the info and ran with it. Was barely back home when all the news outlets started reporting that Kerry Eurodyne's got a new album coming out. That son of a bitch gave me a month! A month! To write an entire fucking album! Fuck the media. I don't care what they say, but I either get an album together in a few weeks or I disappoint the fans" Kerry let out a long sigh "So you get why I did it now?"

"Fuck..." V paused for a moment "I'm not sure what to even say to that... We probably should have burned the house down as well" V tried to lighten the mood

Kerry smiled a tired smile. He was thankful for the merc trying to make him feel better. Kerry didn't want pity. He wanted to let out his anger, which he did; he was tired and absolutely done with it. At this point he just wanted to let it be.

Once they had finished their food, V noted that it was becoming late. He hadn't slept around 24 hours now. While worry kept him awake all night - making sure Kerry was alright, the adrenaline had worn off long ago. He enjoyed spending time with the rockerboy, but he needed to get some shut eye before tomorrow. Kerry had offered him to stay, saying that he had plenty of room for V to crash, but he declined.

V insisted that Kerry should stay inside and relax, but the musician stubbornly saw the man out.

"Don't strain the leg and make sure to change the bandages twice a day at least. Last thing you want is to get it infected" V said climbing into his car

Kerry rolled his eyes, but smiled "Don't worry about it"

"Let me know if it feels off or anything, alright?"

"Will do... and thanks again, truly"

The man in the car smiled, waved and backed out of the driveway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will do my best to upload the next chapter tomorrow!


	8. Chapter 8 - Rock And Roll All Nite

Chapter 8 - Rock And Roll All Nite

Once he got home V slept forever. He was woken up a considerable time later by an angry Jackie knocking at his apartment door. Apparently Jackie had called multiple times, but V had slept though it all. They had a job to do today. The gig was nothing special - Dino needed some virus installed into some local goon's network, so they did. The gig went without any real trouble, so soon they were home free. The two mercenaries decided to visit Misty and Vik, though the man was busy with an emergency operation, so they ended up sitting in Misty's Esoterica drinking tea and chatting.

"So what were you up to yesterday, sleeping beauty?" Jackie asked V.

V had been dreading this question all day, not because he didn't want to tell him, but because he was not sure **what** to tell him. _Hey Jackie! I risked my neck to help a guy who I barely know to get back at one of the richest guys in town, not to mention it all went south, so then I spent the day at the rockers house because I needed to make sure he would be alright and also I didn't actually want to leave_.....

Deciding not to lie to Jackie V said "Kerry needed help. He called me, so I... uhh... well, I went to help. Got back to the apartment quite late"

"What kind of help? He had a gig for you?"

"Kind of.... he needed help getting back at his manager. So we sort of broke into his house and blew up his car" V shrugged, trying to play it cool

"No mames! The explosion, was that you? Are you crazy?! You went after one of the richest cabrones in the city!?" Jackie exclaimed "And you didn't even invite me!"

V simply shrugged again, he had thought of bringing Jackie along, but at the time he wasn't exactly sure what Kerry needed V for.

"And then what?"

"Well it kind of backfired, literally. Kerry got hurt, so I had to drive him home... make sure he's ok, you know?"

"Uh huh" Jackie wiggled his eyebrows "and...?"

"And that's that"

Jackie obviously wasn't buying it. V could feel the tips of his ears burn. He was about to reply when Misty said "Oh, by the way, I did a reading for you babe, you need to relax more. You're stressed out, hun. Maybe wear something blue for a while" Misty said taking Jackie’s hand and essentially shutting him up.

V sent a thankful smile Misty's way. She winked, going back to telling Jackie about how his energy was chaotic.

V knew that his best friend was just teasing; he just wasn't sure what to answer.

V's holo shook. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it. One message. Another buzz. Second message. Speak of the devil, V thought.

K.E.: Thanks for helping me out last night; the leg is already feeling better!

K.E.: Also I never repaid you for that. Sorry! If you give me your details I can send over some eddies asap!

V: Don't worry about it. Glad you're feeling better!

V was about to put the holo away when it shook again

K.E.: Come on. You've helped me so much I gotta repay somehow.

V: Was my pleasure to trash that assholes house. He deserved it. Let's just say we're even about you not calling the cops on me.

As soon as V sent the last message his holo rang

"Like hell we're even! We already dealt with that car thing! Plus, you said yourself you had to drag my ass back to my place. Couldn't have been easy" said an agitated voice on the opposite side of the call

V chuckled "I think you are the first person to be upset because they weren't abandoned at the scene of the crime"

"You know exactly what I mean" Kerry let out a sigh "Well... well at least let me invite you to a party I'm having. Tomorrow I have a get together with some friends and I would like you to come. Just hang out, no blowing up cars, I promise. You could bring someone along if you wish"

"Hmm" V thought for a second "Alright. Yeah" V eyed Jackie "Sounds great! I'll bring Jackie" with that the merc's head snapped away from Misty to V

"Preem! I'll text you the details later. See you tomorrow then!"

"See you"

With those final words, V pocketed the holo and turned to his friend who was expecting an explanation.

"So you wanted to come along, this is your opportunity..."

That intrigued Jackie, as he raised an eyebrow watching V keenly

"Kerry is having a party and he invited us"

Jackie groaned in disgust

"Oh come on! It could be fun..." said V

"I think you should go" Misty said to Jackie "It will be good for you"

.........................

Misty had managed to talk Jackie into coming along and, somehow, to even wear blue, rather than his usual red. When V pointed it out his friend grumbled and shot back that V had also dressed up to impress a certain someone.

They had just arrived at Kerry's place; there were already few cars in the driveway. V was pleasantly surprised by the fact that not all of them were high end luxury cars like he had expected. In fact, one was an old beat up Thorton Galena G240. _Wonder who owns that one,_ V thought.

The door was open, so they walked in. Kerry noticed the two men and approached them with a barely noticeable limp "Jackie! V! So glad that you came!" the man threw his arm around both merc’s shoulders. V noted how good he looked, in a black button up, which fell just in the right way to show off how fit he actually was. That, coupled with his usual golden chains, jeans and combat boots were almost too much for the poor nomad’s heart to take.

Moving both men further into the house Kerry said "Come, I'll introduce you to everyone!"

.........................

V was proven wrong again, when he realized that not many more people would be coming, than those who already were there. Plus, most of them seemed like decent people, not some snobs, as he and Jackie had feared initially.

He'd met some of the new and old band mates of Kerry's, as well as some of his friends form other walks of life. Jackie had found himself a like minded individual, so he had spent most of the party enjoying the company of a man called Drausin, who apparently shared Jackie’s views and enthusiasm on bikes.

Kerry had been busy being a host, having few and far between chats with the merc, so V had opted to get to know other party attendants, rather than following the musician around like a lost puppy. V spent most of the time talking with Nancy, a former Samurai member now a reporter for the N54. They had discussed her work. One of her recent cases had her going across most of the NC on a treasure hunt, so to say, just to find out that the person leaving the clues wasn't a person at all, but a hacked fortune teller machine.

"You know, Kerry told me how you two met" the woman smiled

"Did he now?"

"Quite the story I must say" Nancy chuckled and paused for a moment "I'm just glad he's been looking more like himself" the woman nodded at the direction where Kerry was currently entertaining some of his guests "He told me he started writing again" she said, suddenly looking tired. She touched V's elbow "Whatever you did, thank you" she smiled

V remained silent, thinking about what Kerry had told him about being stuck in a loop. He wondered, _was the loop finally broken? For how long will it remain like this? Was it truly just the gig that did it or was it something more?_ Apparently V's eyes had wondered over to the row of guitars, which hung on one of the walls, because the woman asked "Do you play?" already moving towards the row of instruments.

V followed her and said "Yeah, often in fact. A result of many long nights out in the woods and the desert. Not much to do, but figure out a way to pass the time with what you have"

Nancy nodded. Looked at the guitars for a second. She eventually picked up a blue and white Telecaster. The woman handed the guitar to nomad "Here. Try this one"

He took the guitar noticing how the color was chipped away at places. He put the strap over his shoulder and looked around for a pick. Thankfully there were a few of them thrown on the nearby amp. He gave the guitar a few strums, playing several easy chords in no particular order, trying to get the feel of the guitar.

The sound, which slightly overpowered the background music and chatter, had caught Kerry's attention. The musician walked up to V and Nancy "What's going on here?" Kerry said smiling. Noticing the blue guitar he said "Nice choice". This, for some reason, seemed hilarious to Nancy, as she laughed loudly, shook her head and mumbled under hear breath about how this was all the info she needed, apparently.

Kerry shot a look at the woman and said "Want me to show you how to play?"

"I know how it works" said V vaguely

"Is that so?" Kerry smirked "Wanna prove it?"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Well now it definitely is"

"I bet I can play circles around you" V challenged earning multiple _oo's"_ from the crowd which had gathered due to the commotion. In truth, V was confident Kerry would still outplay him with ease, but he wasn't going to back down, not after the look Kerry was giving him. V suppressed a shudder. The musician's eyes were full of heat and fervor.

"Oh you're on!" Kerry said choosing a guitar

"Wait, what does the winner get?" asked Jackie who'd also joined the audience

Kerry shrugged and V said "Bragging rights?"

"And the loser treats the winner to a dinner" Nancy quickly added, earning more cheering and chatter from the small crowd

"Deal" Kerry agreed, not missing a beat

V gestured for Kerry to start.

Kerry started with something slow, easy and simple. He wanted to give the merc a fighting chance.

V replied in the same manner, not wanting to reveal his hand too soon.

They continued this, progressively increasing the difficulty. Kerry played his final part, adding speed, flair and a little bit of drama to the end of his performance. It was all left to V now, so he finally let himself go, giving all he had. He played what he knew, playing melodies and guitar solos from songs he'd grew up with, trying his best to transition the songs seamlessly and adding his own character to them. He might not be as good as someone like Kerry, who had the upper hand both in years of experience and also due to the fact that he did it for a living, but he certainly wasn’t bad. He'd played a lot back home, even teaching others.

With the last notes ringing out, he turned his attention to the people in the room.

The room erupted in applause and laughter. Several people slapped Kerry on the back. The rockerboy's jaw was practically on the floor "I've been hustled.... You hustled me! You told me you can't play!"

"I told you I can't play the piano" the nomad pointed out, now laughing as well "I never said anything about a guitar. In fact, I believe I said I know how it works" 

"Guess I owe you again, huh?" grinned Kerry

"This time I won't let you off the hook"

.........................

It was late. All the guests had left and V offered to stay and help clean up the mess left by the party goers. Kerry didn't have it in him to refuse the offer; he’d spent so little time with V during the party, so he’d take the opportunity to hang out with the man, even if it meant manual labor at 1 a.m.

So now, after an hour of cleaning up, the two men sat outside, drinking lukewarm leftover coffee. They had moved to a part of the deck which overlooked the city, their legs dangling over the ledge of the flooring.

They sat in silence, simply enjoying the view and the company. Neither of the men knew what to say, or perhaps they wanted to say too much.

Kerry eventually broke the silence "Those were some pretty big circles you ran around me back there. Can't believe you handed me my ass" he smiled. Kerry wasn't upset though, in fact he felt an odd pride swell in his chest, when he thought back to the performance the nomad had given.

"Hm. Shouldn't have gone so easy on you" V teased and Kerry let out a chuckle

"What other skills are you hiding, huh?"

"Mmm several" V hummed "Guess you'll have to wait and see"

"Is that so? Why don't you prove it?"

V looked at Kerry, the man was challenging him once again. V followed Kerry's eyes, which dropped to the nomads lips.

 _He was so close,_ V thought _, a small move, a small tilt of my head and our lips would meet_. Hesitating just for a second, V moved closer, bringing his hand up to cup the rocker's cheek and kissing him. The moment their lips connected Kerry melted into V's touch.

V moved slowly and then faster, exploring, savoring the feeling of just how soft and warm the musician's lips felt against his. He ran his hand though the man's hair, using the other to circle his waist and bring him closer.

Kerry moved his hands up the merc's chest. V was hot under Kerry’s touch, but he shivered as the musician ran his hands up his body. Kerry had been eyeing V all night, he'd looked too damn enticing and seeing him with his favorite guitar around his neck sent Kerry's mind and body into overdrive. Now the merc was all around him, touching, exploring and demanding. Kerry nipped at the man's lip, asking to deepen the kiss. V complied rolling his tongue against the musician's, making him let out a low moan.

After another moment of bliss, V pulled away. They were both breathing heavy, not making any effort to move apart.

They are not sure how much time had passed, but at one point V stood up, offering his arm to Kerry. He took it and V pulled him up, making sure to keep him close.

"I should be going" V said in a quiet voice "I have a gig tomorrow morning"

"Mmm" was all Kerry was able to say before he pulled V in for an unhurried and soft kiss. Unlike the kiss before, this one was slow and caressing.

Once again, V brought his hand up to the musician’s cheek, slowly stroking circles with his thumb. The previous kiss had been heat and passion, an indication that they both had waited too long for this. This one, however, was a promise of something more. V did his best to convey that he didn’t want to leave. That he wanted more than anything to stay here with Kerry, but that he couldn’t, and that this wasn’t the end of whatever was happening here.

It took a lot for V to break the kiss and eventually start moving away from Kerry. He was about to turn around, but the musician caught him "I'll call you tomorrow?"

The merc nodded smiling

"We can talk about that dinner I owe you" Kerry added with a wink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will do my best to upload the next part tomorrow! Work has been tough lately, so it might be another late upload. Not sure yet.  
> Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9 - Favorite Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 18+, as the author attempts to write smut  
> Enjoy!

Chapter 9 - Favorite Place

Long after the nomad had left Kerry was sitting on a sofa with his guitar. He had been dead tired before, but now he was far too excited to sleep, opting instead to pluck the strings and think about what tomorrow might bring.

Kerry hadn't felt like this in forever. The more he thought about what had just happened, the more excited he got. He shook his head at himself, he was acting like a giddy teenager, he needed to get his head out of the clouds.... _Not today though,_ Kerry thought, picking up some paper and writing down more lyrics.

..........................

The merc tried his best to focus on the job, but the memories of last night kept finding their way back into his thoughts constantly. One particular moment Jackie had asked V something four times and he had ignored him, earning a smack on the back of his head. Jackie hadn't exactly asked what had happened yesterday, but it wasn’t hard to put the two and two together.

The job was straightforward, having to find a netrunner gone missing. They had found the woman in a Tyger den, having the gig end up in a shootout. Thankfully, they had managed to dodge the bullets and get the upper hand in the fight. Jackie and V escorted the half conscious woman to Padre, earning their reward and receiving an added bonus for bringing the netrunner back alive.

By the time Kerry called, the clock was nearing midday mark and V was running errands.

"Hey" said Kerry

"Hey yourself" replied V

"How have you been?"

"Running errands, saving people, you know, the usual" V said and then added "...been waiting for a certain someone to call me"

"Is that so? Did that someone leave a lasting impression?"

"Couldn't forget if I tried" V chuckled

To say that Kerry was glad to hear it would be an understatement

"So I was thinking.... are you free the day after tomorrow? I kind of owe you a dinner" Kerry said "Plus, there's also something else I have in mind"

"Well now you got me curious. Yes, I am free" V replied

"Great! I could come pick you up, so I don't spoil the surprise of where we're going" Kerry paused and said "Huh, you've never actually told me where you live"

"Oh, right. You remember Misty's Esoterica? The curiosity shop? Not far from there is a Megabuilding H10, that's where I live"

"Alright. Let's say I'll be there around noon?"

"Sounds good" V said and smiled

"So... I uhh... see you then...?" Kerry asked unsure, hesitating

"You know you don't have to hang up if you don't want to.... We could just talk" V offered hearing the hesitant tone in the musician’s voice

Kerry let out a breath "You know.... I uhh couldn't sleep last night. Wrote a whole page of lyrics. I think there's something there. Would love to hear your opinion on it when it's in a playable state"

"You know I'd be happy to hear it. Any time." V said and then teased "Might even give you some pointers if you ask nicely"

Kerry laughed at that. "Ey now!" the musician warned "Next time I won't make it so easy!"

"Was fun. I mean, meeting your friends.... they're good people"

"Glad to hear it, because Nancy has been talking my ear off how she'd like to get to know you more"

"Yeah? She's great. Very interesting to talk to, she ---"

"Ugh not you too" Kerry groaned, interrupting the nomad "No, but I am glad that you two get along. Ever since Samurai broke up... or... well ever since Johnny disappeared Nancy has been there for me, you know?"

"I know what you mean. Ever since I moved to NC Jackie has been there for me. He welcomed me in his home, and put me on my feet. Having to leave my family was difficult. I'm not sure how I would have managed without Jackie"

"I'm glad you two found each other. I don't even want to think what could have been if Nance wasn't there" After a moment of silence Kerry cleared his throat "Well this got a lot heavier than I intended.... "

V smiled "Do you want me to pick a new topic?"

"Yes please" Kerry chuckled

V thought for a while and said "Back in the West we had these "karaoke nights". We had this portable karaoke machine that had a ton of songs from different decades on it, but it would sometimes skip beats, making people stumble halfway through a song"

That made Kerry laugh. He asked "Do you sing?"

"Not if I can help it" 

"Oh come on, now we gotta try a duet"

"Believe me, you don't wanna hear it"

"Yeah, yeah everyone says that. I believe it when I hear it. Next time I'm in the studio, you're coming with me"

"You better bring a bottle of tequila, otherwise you won't get me to the mic"

"Sounds like a plan!" Kerry said with a grin "Ok, I gotta go now. I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

"Looking forward to it"

..........................

The days dragged on. Kerry and V texted yesterday, talking about anything, from hobbies to favorite movies, in times resorting to plain and shameless flirting. They also discussed the Kovachek situation. Apparently the man was back from his vacation angrier than ever. He hadn’t bothered Kerry though, so all seemed okay for the time being.

V didn't have any gigs yesterday and today he hadn't taken up any new ones, as Kerry had promised to pick V up somewhere around noon. The nomad ended up just staying home spending his time working out and tinkering with gear. Having no idea what they would even be doing, V opted to dress the way he usually does, simply deciding to wear a better shirt and pants, which hadn't been worn out yet.

Kerry called around 5 p.m. to tell that he was downstairs, parked by the sidewalk. V was happy to see that the man had also gone for the same idea when it came to the dress code. V spotted Kerry instantly. The man was leaning against his Reyfield, looking too handsome for his own good. From his styled hair down to his combat boots, the man made heads turn.

As hard as Kerry tried to pass the look of someone who walked though life with a devil may care attitude, he was visibly nervous standing there waiting for his date. _It's probably due to the fact that he was afraid to be recognized and then mobbed,_ V thought, so he didn't hesitate and walked up to the musician.

"Hey" said V

Instead of replying though, Kerry gathered the front of V's shirt in his fist and pulled him forwards, crashing his lips against his. The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but in that moment Kerry had managed to express everything he wanted - how he had missed V and how he was looking forward to today.

"Hey" the musician finally replied with a lopsided grin "Let's go, hop in"

Still dazed from the kiss, V didn't say anything and just got in the car as he was ordered.

Once V had made himself comfortable he said "Missed me that much, did ya?"

"Mmm. Been thinking of doing that for a while"

"Yeah? What else has been on your mind?"

Kerry chuckled. Making the effort not to reply with something suggestive, he said "Well been thinking about how great today's gonna be"

"Still got no idea where we're going"

"Exciting, isn't it? A mystery date" Kerry said wiggling his eyebrows "Just sit back and relax. You don't have to worry about a thing. Today I'm your chauffeur"

..........................

A short time later they arrived at a club. V wasn't the one for clubbing, opting to go for smaller scale bars or pubs when he wanted to go out for a drink, but if this is what Kerry wanted to show him then he wouldn't complain. To V's relief, they didn't stay on the main floor, instead they took the elevator up to the top of the building, which housed a restaurant. Kerry had apparently rented the whole floor for them, not wanting to be disturbed.

The two men sat by a table, which offered the best view of the city.

"This is one of my favorite spots in NC" Kerry explained "Ever since I found this place it's been special to me. I come here as often as I can to think or to just enjoy the view... It all looks so calm from up here. You can almost forget about all the shit happening out there" after a small moment Kerry smiled and added "Besides, this is a special occasion"

"I can see why you love this place" V took a long look at the scenery before him. Taking in the sights "The view is amazing. I'm glad you showed this place to me"

Kerry smiled "Yeah me too...." after a moment he added "Well just wait till you try the food here. I swear the altitude does something to it. It's great!"

"Oh? Got any recommendations?"

"Actually, I asked the chef to prepare something from Filipino cuisine" Kerry said "Would have asked them to prepare what you like, but I don't really know what you prefer"

V waved him off "I don't mind. I think I prefer this better regardless, so you definitely hit the mark"

That made Kerry smile

..........................

They spent some time chatting and enjoying the food. Kerry was right, it really was great. _The dinner and the company already made this an incredible day_ , V thought.

During their conversations Kerry had wanted to know more about V's life as a nomad, his past and his friends here in NC, so V indulged the man's interest. He told him everything from stuff like the dumb antics he got up to as a teenager in the West, to the small stuff, like the fact that his family had a dog, to his new friends here, which he hadn't mentioned before. Kerry listened intently, mentioning that he would love to meet some of nomad's friends.

V, on the other hand, asked more about Kerry's family and travelling.

V learned that Kerry used to enjoy camping, which is something V would make sure to take advantage of in the future. He also learned that while his roots were in Philippines, he had spent most of his time growing up in NC. Still, the musician was proud of his heritage, which made V happy, as he himself had roots outside of NUSA.

"Ready to go?" asked Kerry once they were done with their meal

"Mmm" V hummed in agreement "Another mystery stop?"

"I want to show you something before the sun sets" explained Kerry

..........................

Kerry drove them to the next location, which to V's surprise appeared to be the docs. Not the ones V was used to visiting for his job though. These were private docks filled with luxury yachts rather than cargo ships and smugglers.

They made their way though the docks, when Kerry turned by one of the luxury boats, jumped aboard and retrieved a hat from one of the cleats by the side. With the hat now on his head, and a full smile on his lips, Kerry turned to V "Ahoy, there matey! Welcome aboard!"

V hesitated "Umm... are we going somewhere?"

Kerry's face fell a bit, _did V hate this idea?_

"That was the plan, yeah"

"Never been on open water. Never been on a yacht for that matter. Only like a small wooden boat on a lake" V said.

Kerry relaxed, _so this was about inexperience_ , he could work with that. Smiling at the merc he extended his arm and said "More of a reason to try out your sea legs now"

V took his hand and got on the boat.

"Hold on" said Kerry, steadying V. Kerry's eyes lit up as he connected to the yacht's control system and the boat surged forward. Dim lights turned on, and V could hear a far away sound of a radio.

Being in this position gave Kerry an idea. He pulled V closer, his hand circling the merc’s strong waist, moving them a few steps back, so that they'd be in the middle of the deck. Getting the general idea V let Kerry drag him forwards, while he put his hands around the musician.

A somewhat slow song was playing in the background, so Kerry took the opportunity to keep moving, slowly stepping in circles. Realizing what Kerry was aiming for, V took the lead spinning them further, but their dance didn't last long, as the song changed to fast rock music.

V chuckled and adjusted the speed, taking Kerry's hand rather than holding his waist with both hands, bouncing them around lightly instead of swaying. Kerry laughed giving V a spin. A small wave hit the boat, forcing them stumble backwards, making V fall onto Kerry, who was now pressed against the side of the cabin. This turned out to be too tempting for V, who had been thinking of the kiss by the car the whole damn day.

V pressed his lips to Kerry's. The musician responded immediately, deepening the kiss. This action just pushed V further over the edge, making him run his hands along Kerry's back up to his neck, eventually lacing his fingers thought the musicians hair.

Kerry was working his own way up the man's body, sneaking his hand under the merc's shirt. Not satisfied with the little amount of skin that the tight shirt offered, he tried to remove it. Kerry did his best to unbutton the nomad's shirt, but impatience won over him, making him pop half of the buttons. The nomad let out a low groan at the action, grinding his hips against Kerry.

They managed to stumble their way into the cabin, discarding their clothes one by one along the way. Kerry was now in his boxers, while V still had half of his clothes on.

"Get your pants off" the rockerboy ordered impatiently, while he closed the cabin door

The merc did as he was ordered and turned to Kerry who was watching him with heat and intensity.

V was about to take off his boxers, but Kerry pushed his arms away saying "No. Let me"

Kerry slowly pulled down the merc’s pants, enjoying the sound that the merc made by the contact of Kerry's arms against his skin. V's cock sprung up as soon as it was freed from the fabric. Wanting to get the feel of him, Kerry gave the man before him a few long strokes, making the nomad moan.

Kerry tried to push V down on the bed, but the merc had a different idea. He had already followed enough orders, it was time he took the lead.

V pinned Kerry down on the bed, removing his boxers. He gave Kerry a quick kiss on the lips before moving his head down, trailing kisses down his body to the now freed cock. He ran his tongue up and down the entire length, before taking him into his mouth, giving the man several deep bobs of his head, occasionally adding twists of his tongue into the mix.

"Fuck, V" Kerry gasped trying not to thrust his hips upwards

After a few more deep movements, V removed himself with a pop. Kerry instantly pulled him in for a messy kiss. They had barely done anything and he was already close.

After a moment of grinding hips, exploring hands and kissing, the musician rolled to his side and took a bottle from the nearby table handing it to V.

Popping open the bottle, V made sure that Kerry was ready and then slowly entered him. The sensation was almost too much for V to take. He pulled himself out completely, just to enter again, before he started to move rhythmically.

They stayed like that for a while, connected, moving, gasping in short breaths, adjusting the pace and the angle when they needed to.

After a moment V could barely hold himself together "Ker.... fuck Ker!" the man moaned

"Say that again"

"Ker"

"Fuck... oh--" Kerry gasped at the sound of his nick name coming from the nomad’s lips

After a few more rhythmic movements, V realized he wouldn’t last any longer. He leaned down, kissing the musician's neck and moving his arm lower, circling it around Kerry's cock. With each thrust he moved his hand up and down the entire length of Kerry's dick

"Ker I’m close" the merc said moaning

"It's ok.... Cum for me" Kerry replied, breathless

So he did. After a few deep movements he emptied himself in the musician. He could hear Kerry moan by the action. V gave the man a few additional strokes and he came soon after. He could feel the rockerboy’s cum dripping down his palm.

..........................

The two men were relaxing in bed. Kerry, with a satisfied grin on his face, was lying on his stomach and V was slowly stoking the musician’s back, when several distant explosions sounded outside.

Kerry chuckled at the sound "Those would be the fireworks I wanted to show you"

"Mmm" hummed V "Pretty sure I saw some anyway"

Kerry groaned at how cheesy that sounded, making the two men laugh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might take an extra day for the next chapter.   
> The last several chapters are longer and require a lot more editing.  
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10 - Wouldn't It Be Nice

Chapter 10 - Wouldn't It Be Nice

Kerry woke up before V. The nomad was snoring lightly with one of his hands draped over Kerry, keeping him close.

After letting himself enjoy a moment in the man's arms, Kerry untangled himself from V's grasp and made his way out on the deck. Yesterday he had planned to take the yacht further out in water to enjoy the sunset and have some dessert with champagne. Just in case, Kerry had also packed some extra stuff, not knowing how long they would decide stay out. Waiting for V to wake up, he set up some breakfast.

Kerry who just had finished with setting everything up, was leaning on the side of the boat, watching the city in the distance, when the cabin door opened and out came V. The sight of the merc made Kerry's breath hitch. Messy hair, torn and now half open button up with rolled up sleeves, which showed off his tattoos, the man looked too damn hot.

"Morning" said a raspy voice

 _Add voice to the list of reasons why I might not even make it thought the breakfast,_ Kerry thought

"Good morning" Kerry replied "I set us up some breakfast"

"You're spoiling me"

Kerry chuckled "Guilty as charged"

V shook his head smiling, making his way over to the table. The man sat down and Kerry passed him some coffee, but not before giving him a lingering kiss.

..................

They had decided to spend some more time on the water before heading back to the shore. Kerry had retrieved a guitar and was playing a slow, pleasant tune humming along with the melody. V had asked if it is new, as he didn't recognize it, to which Kerry just winked. They didn't speak much, simply relaxing and enjoying each other’s company, sitting shoulder to shoulder, till it was time to start heading back to the shore.

"I think I might like sailing. The waves, the scenery, the sound.... the company." V gave Kerry a smile "It's nice. Relaxing" said V

"That so? Well then we will just have to make this a regular thing, won't we?"

"Mmm" V hummed in agreement reaching for Kerry and wrapping his arm around the musician’s waist "That sounds like a good idea"

..................

Unfortunately, the bliss of long nights on open water and the taste of champagne couldn't last forever. It had been a day since their date and V was back to his mercenary duties. They had texted that night; V thanked Kerry for treating him to an amazing day and told him that he had great time. They had tried to schedule a date for the next day, but the merc was busy, so they had decided to meet the day after. Kerry had offered to take the nomad to some outdoor concert in Charter Hill and V was more than happy to accept.

Taking two days off meant that there were several new gigs that he and Jackie needed to do. Thankfully, none of them were particularly hard.

Their first gig seemed easy enough, having to crack a safe in a restaurant, which also doubled as a small scale gambling hot spot for the locals. Apparently, some idiot had gambled away his family heirloom and now needed it back. The restaurant's security consisted of a single security camera and an overworked grumpy cook, who, when confronted, was almost happy to give away the safe combination.

The second gig turned out to be more difficult than it seemed at first, taking a lot longer to complete, eventually taking up all of their day. It was past midnight when V finally got home and was able to relax. Tired, but happy, V fell asleep thinking of meeting Kerry tomorrow.

..................

The next day didn't go as planned.

Jackie and V had been hired as bodyguards for some Japanese "businessman" as Wakako had eloquently put it. They had to make sure that the man gets to his plane safely. What they didn't realize was that the man had several stops to make on his way to his flight, essentially forcing the two mercenaries to take a damn tour though the whole city. While they didn't encounter many issues during the gig, they got trailed several times, forcing them to be on their toes the entire day.

Once they realized that the gig would take the whole day, V texted Kerry to let him know that there was no possible way that he could make it to the concert. After that, V was unable to check his holo for the entire day, having to focus on keeping the _"businessman"_ on track.

Once the plane with the Japanese man had left, it was late evening. Jackie and V hadn't had time to have a meal the entire day, so the two men decided to find a 24 hour diner for some coffee and food. The place, which they happened to stumble upon, was small, unassuming and empty - perfect for some tired mercs to relax at. V noted that they were in Kerry's district, actually not far from Kerry's place.

Finally having some time to relax, V pulled out his holo to check his messages. There was a text from Judy, who wished to know if V wanted to catch up with her and Ev someday soon. He quickly replied that he would love to and moved on to other notifications. Some spam, an email from his landlord and several text from Kerry who was replying to the text V had sent this morning.

Ker: That fucking sucks.

Ker: But I get it :/

Ker: Let me know when you are done

Ker: Miss ya ;)

That last text filled V's heart with warmth. Smiling he typed back.

V: Finally done with the gig

V: Miss you as well. Sry again that I couldn't make it. Are you up for something tomorrow?

Kerry replied a few moments later

Ker: Glad you're ok

Ker: Sure I'm free tomorrow. What are you up to?

V: Preem!

V: Sitting in a diner called Salt Shake Shack with Jack

Ker: Oh I know that place. It's just down the road. You 2 could come to my place so I could treat you to some real coffee, rather than the muck that passes for coffee there probably

V: It's not that bad actually...

Ker: You are insane

V: Funny. Come here and find out yourself

To that Kerry didn't reply. V thought maybe Kerry was busy, so he put down his holo and ordered some food.

"So... spill" his best friend said

V sighed. He knew exactly what Jackie meant. He also knew that there wouldn't be any escape from him and his curiosity, so V decided to indulge the man "Me and Kerry went out on a date. We were supposed to go on another one today, but... you know..."

"Fucking knew you had a thing for him" Jackie said smugly

"I wasn't exactly hiding it"

"Nah, but you weren't exactly telling either. So? Where did you go? What did you do? What were you going to do today? Are you two a thing now? Is he not too old for you? Is he ---" Jackie spoke a mile a minute

"Ok. Hold on. Why don't we slow down and start with one question" V rolled his eyes "He took me to dinner and then we spent some time out on his yacht"

"A yacht? Damn... Maybe I should also get myself a sugar daddy" Jackie wiggled his eyebrows

"Ugh. Please never say that again" groaned V, slapping a hand over his eyes

"Just pulling your leg, hermano" Jackie said seeing the look of horror and disgust on his friend face "But... uhh... are you two a thing now?"

"I... I don't know Jackie. We haven't exactly discussed it. I mean, it was technically just one date"

"Pff" spat Jackie waving him off "Two, if today had gone as planned. Never mind. The amount doesn't mean anything. You two like each other, just go for it"

V smiled. Jackie was essentially giving him his blessing. It was nice of him.

The waiter came with their food. Jackie had ordered a huge stack of waffles and V had opted for some fries.

"I know I asked you if he isn't too old for you..." Jackie said with a full mouth of waffles "…but I think you two fit together perfectly. I mean, you're basically 90 years old with your damn CD's and taste in movies and he's like what? A 100?"

V laughed "Thanks Jack. That's great. _Really_ appreciate it. And he's not a hundred, not even close"

Jackie’s eyes focused to something behind V "Speak of the devil" the merc said

V turned around to see Kerry enter the diner.

..................

Kerry couldn't focus on writing all day, as his head was preoccupied with other stuff, like how the nomad hadn't replied to his messages and how his job was dangerous and how today could have been a fun day out if only...

His mind's vertigo finally ended with two dings from his holo.

V had texted him to say that he was done with the job. It also turned out that the man sat in a diner near Kerry's house. The musician had invited him and his friend to come over, but the man had declined, rather inviting Kerry to the diner. He didn't hesitate and made his way there.

The diner was empty, so he spotted the two men immediately. As he entered the small building, Jackie noticed him first. With a tilt of his head he greeted the man. V turned around a second after, his expression changing from confusion to happiness. Kerry beamed back at the nomad and walked up to the table. Once there he hesitated for a second. Kerry wasn't shy about his feelings towards V. A little bit scared by the suddenness of it all and the intensity of the emotions he felt? Maybe. But ashamed or shy? Not at all. He didn't, however, know how V felt about it - whether or not the merc wanted to be public about it. Kerry didn't want to push him if he wasn't ready, so he decided to just slide into the chair next to V, rather than greeting him like he wanted to, and let the nomad take the lead.

"Hey" said Kerry to both men

Jackie smiled nodding at the man and kept eating, rising an eyebrow at his friend

"Hey there" V said smiling

The nomad put an arm around Kerry’s shoulders, pulling him into a half hug against his chest, keeping him there and not letting him move away. Not that Kerry minded.

V pushed his plate to Kerry offering his fries and said "Want me to get you coffee? You seem tired"

 _Me,_ Kerry thought, _V looked like he hadn't slept in a year_. _Tired eyes, movements that lacked their usual sharpness, the man was overworked,_ Kerry worried.

Still, he replied "Sure, yeah"

V gestured towards the bored waiter for another coffee and then he turned to Kerry "How was your day?"

"Took a lazy day. Was in no mood to write"

Jackie chuckled "Sorry for stealing your muse. You two were supposed to have a date today?"

V shot Jackie a look, but Kerry just laughed. Apparently V had no issue with taking their relationship public "Yeah had everything planned out too. Were gonna go to a concert and then dinner. The whole nine yards"

Jackie made an impressed face and nodded "Well… we got food and music here" he said pointing to the TV playing a horrible advertisement with an annoying jingle "So not everything is lost yet"

"The company is the main thing that matters anyway" V said with a grin

Kerry let out a laugh, squeezing the merc's hand

"Ugh" Jackie groaned, but smiled "Really? In front of my waffles? I can't take that much sugar"

The waiter came with Kerry's coffee and he took a long sip of it. _Wasn't half bad_ , he thought and stole some fries from V's plate.

..................

After saying their goodbyes to Jackie, who had left a moment earlier, the two men were standing by their cars.

"You know you could just stay at my place. You don't have to drive all the way back to Watson" Kerry told V

"You know I wish I could" said the nomad "but I need to swap gear, got a job tomorrow morning. I won't have the time to drive back if I stayed"

Kerry just nodded his head. He wanted to tell him to forget the job, but he knew V well enough by now to know it wouldn't work. Instead, Kerry just opted to take the nomads arm.

V leaned against his car and pulled Kerry into his arms. The musician nuzzled into the crook of his neck for a second, just staying there, enjoying the tender moment.

V gently stroked the musician's back enjoying the feeling of Kerry pressed against him. After a moment V spoke ".....After the gig I am free though. Maybe you wanna hang out with me and some of my friends? I haven't seen Judy and Ev in forever, it would be nice to catch up and I would like to invite you, if that's something you'd like?"

Kerry pulled away slightly, so that he would be able to look into the nomad’s eyes. The musician said "Told you already I would like to meet your friends, so yeah, would love that actually"

V smiled "Text you tomorrow?"

"You better" Kerry said pulling the merc in for a kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might take an extra day for the next chapter.  
> The last several chapters are longer and require a lot more editing.  
> Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11 - Love and Memories

Chapter 11 - Love and Memories

V's day started like any other. He got up, did his daily routine and he was off to work. He texted Judy to clarify if they were still up for today and when exactly they would be meeting. Judy replied some time later, so he passed the info to Kerry, who let the merc know it worked for him.

V met Jackie at their gig's location, which happened to be a half collapsed building. Apparently, some delinquents were using the building for drug making and the local fixer had a problem with that. They were tasked to burn down anything they found, which was not hard, but it was time consuming. Plus, all the chemicals had made the job more unpleasant than usual.

Having spent most of the time V had dedicated for going home, getting cleaned up and picking up Kerry on, essentially, burning down the house, the nomad had no other option than to go straight to Kerry's.

 _Even with that they'd most likely be late,_ V thought.

................

A while later, V turned into Kerry's driveway, got out of his car and made his way into the building. He knocked out of politeness, but decided to go in without waiting for an answer, as he could hear the man playing music. Kerry was sitting on the sofa with a guitar, humming and writing something down. As soon as Kerry noticed the nomad he put down the guitar, and moved to greet him.

A smile lit up his entire face "Hey, was just thinking about you" he said gesturing behind him to where he had left the guitar

V smiled back, pulling the musician into a hug

Pulling away, V took in Kerry’s appearance. "Someone dressed up" V said giving Kerry a spin. The musician was clearly dressed to impress. Warm colors, which brought out his beautiful eyes, well fitted clothes, which emphasized his fit body; it was hard for V to look away

"You like?"

"Mmm" V let out a satisfied hum, giving the man another long look up and down "Kinda thinking of just calling Ev to tell her we can't make it"

"Don't tempt me" Kerry warned. After a moment he added "Not that I mind the whole bad boy vibe you got going on, but you know you smell like chemicals and smoke, right? You ok?"

"Mmm. That's just my new cologne, the Toxic Masculinity, they call it" V tried to joke and sighed "Long day. Didn't have time to go back to my place"

Kerry rolled his eyes "You know you can just take a shower here. I could give you something to wear. Mi casa es su casa and all that" his tone turned serious then "I mean it, you're welcome here any day, any time. Anything mine is yours. If you have a gig near, or simply want to visit you know you can just come here. You already have all the codes"

That warmed the nomad’s heart more than any fire could. It meant a lot to him that Kerry would trust him this much, that _he_ meant something to Kerry.

Kerry was observing V's internal monologue with interest, watching the merc's tired expression change multiple times in a span of a few seconds, finally settling into a soft one. Kerry shook his head, planted a quick kiss on the nomad's lips and pointed him to the shower "Go get cleaned up, I'll get you something new to wear" the musician said and slapped V's retreating rear, chuckling at the little startled jump that the merc made because of it.

After a while the two men were standing in Kerry's walk in closet.

"Absolutely not"

"Oh come on, you'd look hot as fuck in this" Kerry said dangling a leopard print sleeveless shirt in front of the merc’s eyes, trying his best to look like he was serious and not about to burst out laughing

"Over my dead body"

"Fine be a sour puss. Take the red one" Kerry said throwing a dark red and white raglan towards V "Now about those pants...." he said mischievously

"Nope. I don't even wanna hear it"

Not able to hold it in anymore, the musician laughed loudly "Relax, was going to offer you these" he gave V a pair of regular dark colored jeans "unless, of course... you want those" Kerry pointed to bright yellow leather cut offs and let out another laugh. The musician had no clue how he even got those horrible shorts, but the look that V had on his face… well, Kerry might just frame them and put them up on the wall along with the paintings.

"You're killing me, Ker" V said shaking his head. The nomad was smiling though. Kerry was clearly having fun, which in turn made V happy.

The nomad pulled Kerry closer, giving him a quick peck and said "Thanks. This will work nicely"

V started dressing, expecting Kerry to leave, but instead the man leaned against the door frame and watched with interest.

V chuckled. He wasn't shy about his body, definitely not when it came to Kerry.

V didn't mind the challenge and pulled off his towel, deciding to pick up the shirt first and work his way to other articles of clothing after.

Not even bothering to glance at the rockerboy, the nomad said "You know if you keep looking at me like that we are going to be more than fashionably late"

................

They arrived at Lizzie's Bar significantly late. V made sure to text his friends before to let them know that they'd be later than expected. Thankfully it seemed that the two women didn't mind.

The club was full, so they entered by the side entrance, going straight for the VIP area where Ev and Judy usually hung out. Sure enough, the two of them sat in the booth chatting. As soon as they spotted V they waved the two men over.

V pulled Judy and Ev into a hug. "It's been too long" V said

"It really has, I'm glad to see you" Judy replied and turned to Kerry "You as well. When V said he was seeing someone we had no clue it would be a rockerboy. Though looking at it now, of course it is...."

Evelyn shook her head, smiled and said "Hi, I'm Ev, this is Judy. Don't mind that, she means well"

They made their introductions and ordered drinks. The conversation moved with ease the entire evening, switching between different topics. They discussed anything from some of the new BD tech coming out to the latest TV shows and anything in between.

The musician felt welcomed by the two women and was glad to have met more of V's friends. 

................

After their get-together with V’s friends, the merc drove them back to Kerry's house. Once they got there, the nomad led Kerry to the door.

The musician pulled V in for a unhurried kiss "Come" he said slowly tugging the man towards the doors "Stay"

V didn't reply, instead allowing himself to be moved inside. He was more than happy to stay with Kerry, rather than going back to his empty flat.

Lacing his fingers though the nomad's belt loops, Kerry pulled him further into the house.

This time V let Kerry take the lead.

................

Some time later the two men were sitting on the wooden deck, which overlooked the city. Kerry had dubbed it "their spot", remembering their first kiss. Naturally, V had insisted on getting some coffee, to make it truly authentic. They were sitting side by side, pressed against each other, enjoying the company and the distant buzz of the city.

Unsure whether it was from the long day he had, or the tranquil view he was seeing, V was thinking of coincidences. How his choices and even his failures have led him here and now. How if he hadn't gone into the gig blind and tried to rob Kerry, none of this would be happening. It was a terrifying thought. He hadn't been with Kerry long, but already he couldn't imagine his life without him.

"Do you ever wonder what could have been?" asked the nomad breaking the silence

"Always" Kerry said, not missing a beat

"You don't even know what I am referring to"

Kerry shook his head "Doesn't matter. I always wonder what could have been. Life is just coincidences coming together to create a story. Shit keeps me up at night" after a short moment he continued "What if I hadn't met Johnny and started a band, hadn't been signed with Kovachek, had done what my family wanted instead of pursuing a career in music.... What if you hadn't tried to rob me...." the man shuddered to even think about that. Kerry took V's arm. After a quiet moment he said "Tell me something about your time in the West"

V thought for a second and said "Well this one time, when I was a teenager, me and some of my friends decided to go camping in this amazing place. South Fork Mineral Creek it was called. And it was an absolute disaster" he said laughing "First, our car broke down halfway to the location. We managed to fix it, but it was just the beginning of the disastrous trip. Once we got to the place we wanted to stay at, it started to rain, hard. In the rush to set up the tents Jude absolutely destroyed one of them, meaning all four of us, plus my dog, had to squeeze into one tiny tent. None of us slept that night, partly due to the potent smell of a wet dog and partly because we just didn't have the space. Once it was light, it actually turned out to be a beautiful day. We were tired, but decided to make the most of it. The trouble started up again when we tried to leave. The car broke down again. We got back to the clan a day later than we were supposed to be back" V chuckled "Oh Eli was _so_ mad when we got back" he said shaking his head. V paused then. He'd been rambling on and on, and Kerry hadn't said anything the entire time. The nomad focused his attention to Kerry then, to find the musician watching him intently.

"No, please keep going" the man said with a genuine tone "I love the way your eyes light up and stuff when you talk about your home"

V chuckled "You know for a lyricist you're an awful poet. _And stuff_ " he quoted

"You know for a merc you're pretty bad at picking up clues"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh please, I had to practically spell it out for you to make a move"

"Well then why didn't you make the first move?"

"Are you kidding me?" Kerry laughed "I've been flirting with you the second I saw you, I've asked you to stay at my place multiple times, I invited you to meet my closet friends I--"

"Ok, ok I get the point" the nomad laughed, interrupting Kerry

"You gonk" the musician shook his head and V pulled him in for a kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as before, I will try to upload the next part as soon as possible. Might be tomorrow, might have to take an extra day.  
> Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12 - Vicious Love

Chapter 12 - Vicious Love

V spent the night at Kerry’s place. The two men had decided to have a lazy day, opting to use the time to relax and enjoy the beautiful day together. Unfortunately, their plans were spoiled by a call.

They had just finishing eating breakfast when Regina Jones called. The fixer needed V and Jackie to rescue a ripperdoc held in a gang base against his will, forced to work for his captors. Seeing as the gang keeping him was Maelstrom, this was going to be a challenge.

V said his goodbyes to Kerry and promised to be back as soon as he was done with the job.

.................

V picked up Jackie from Misty's and the two mercenaries made their way to the coordinates they had been given by the fixer. During the ride they discussed how they would go about this job, ending up on agreeing that Jackie would be taking the charge of protecting the captive, while V covered them.

Getting to the room in which the captive was held proved to be difficult, but they managed to get there unnoticed, taking out several guards on their way, essentially clearing their way out as well. Unfortunately, not all went the way they had expected, as a new patrol of armed guards had arrived at the compound. The new guards had noticed that several of their fellow goons were missing, so now the entire building was on high alert.

The mercs had to switch their tactics fast. Deciding to look for a different way out, they checked the security cameras noticing an exit which was significantly less guarded.

They were halfway to the exit when the ripperdoc made the mistake of moving several steps ahead. Jackie grabbed at the man, but it was too late. He got noticed by a camera, which they hadn't had time to deactivate yet.

An alarm sounded though the building.

"Run!" shouted Jackie "Get to the car, fast!"

They made their way down the wide hallway when something slammed into Jackie, throwing the man on the ground, making him lose his weapon.

"Jack!" shouted V, trying to get to his friend, who had been attacked by a Maelstromer with Mantis Blades, when a bullet whizzed by his head.

Getting behind a cover, V started firing back at the attackers.

"Pass him his weapon" V yelled at the ripperdoc, who was hiding behind a metal barrel, but the scared man couldn't hear him over the gunshots.

Firing few more shots V took down the goons, which were running down the hallway towards them.

Seeing his friend lose the fight, V tried shooting at the attacker on top of Jackie, but the bullets bounced off of his cyberware, only denting them. Out of desperation, V lunged at the Maelstrom goon clawing at Jackie. The now pinned thug turned, sheathing his bullet ridden Mantis Blades and pulling a gun on V.

Several bullets hit V's chest point blank, weakening merc's bulletproof vest. V could feel pain shoot though him and then something warm running down his torso. One of the bullets had gone through V's vest.

.................

Time passed in a blur. V was continuously losing his consciousness, listening to sounds around him, trying his best to follow the orders his friend was giving.

Stay awake the voice had said. Don't move your shoulders like that. It was all so confusing to V. _Too much noise_ , he thought. _And why was there blood coming from his chest? He was supposed to be at Kerry's, sipping cocktails by his pool,_ _not bleeding out in his own car._

Last thing V saw was Vik leaning over him, attaching something to V's face.

.................

Kerry had waited patiently for V, but once the sun set, the time which had passed weighted on the musician's mind. Kerry was pacing around the house trying to reach V, who hadn't answered any of his messages. _He might still be at the job, he might be busy or his holo could be dead,_ Kerry thought, but he knew how dangerous a group of Maelstrom goons could be. Plus, something was off. He could feel it in deep in his bones.

It was late evening when Kerry got a call from Jackie.

Kerry had rushed over to the clinic as soon as the call ended; probably earning several speeding tickets along the way, but his mind was racing with other thoughts to even remotely care about something as trivial as fines.

Jackie had gone to greet the man in Misty's shop, to explain the situation, but Kerry had all but tacked him into the ground, making his way past the merc and into the clinic.

The view, which opened before him was horrible. He just stood there for a moment too stunned to move.

"You're shaking. Sit down" a strong and tired, but kind voice ordered Kerry. He didn't pay it no mind. He couldn't. All he saw was V, connected to tubes on a hospital bed. After a moment, a pair of arms pressed Kerry down. The musician didn't have the strength to protest, as he was pushed down on a chair and rolled closer to V.

.................

A day passed and V hadn't woken up yet. Then another one.... Since he had arrived at the clinic, Kerry hadn't left V's side for more than a few minutes at a time.

Vik, who introduced himself to Kerry as V's friend and ripperdoc, had explained that V was in a stable condition, but he needed to rest. The musician had also met Misty. He remembered her from the time they dropped off Jackie and from the times that V mentioned her in conversation.

The woman had essentially adopted Kerry, making sure he gets warm tea and something to eat, as well as giving him a few blankets, to keep him comfortable. Kerry liked her; she somehow evoked a calming atmosphere every time she entered the room. _It was sad that they had to meet like this,_ Kerry thought.

.................

In the early morning of the third day V woke up. He was greeted by two pairs of eyes staring back at him.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, kid" said Vik, moving a few steps back from the bed

"What...." V wheezed "What happened? .... Kerry?" he turned his head to the side where Kerry was sitting. The musician offered him a weak smile, taking his hand. V noticed how the musician looked like he hadn't slept in a year. His tired eyes turning brighter with every new movement V made.

"You got shot point blank multiple times. That's what fucking happened!" Vik growled in anger. He took a breath and rubbed his face. Now in a calmer voice he continued "One of the bullets got thought the vest. If you hadn't had a ripperdoc with you, you probably... well... fuck, V! When Jackie dragged your ass in here I thought this was it" the man shook his head "You're lucky you're alive" he murmured and then sighed.

"Is Jackie ok?" V asked

"Yeah a few cuts and bruises, but he's ok. Was scared shitless though"

V let out a relieved sight

After a pause the ripperdoc said "I'm gonna go let them know you are awake. Give you two a moment" before moving out of the room

V watched Vik leave and then turned his eyes back to Kerry

"Hi" he said weakly

"Don't you fucking _hi_ me" the man said in what was supposed to be a stern voice, but came out more like a half angry sob

"Hey, hey" V tried to calm Kerry, but was interrupted by a coughing fit "it's ok, I'm ok"

"You're fucking not though. You've been out for days. If Vik hadn't kept repeating that you were in a stable condition I would have lost my mind"

For a moment they looked at each other. The man before him looked tortured. V wasn't sure what to even answer. _To tell him he was sorry that Kerry had to go though this? The words couldn’t express how sorry he was. To tell the man he wouldn’t do that again? They both knew that would be a lie…_

"Kerry I'm sorry I shouldn't have ---"

"Shh don't talk" Kerry said, afraid that the man will start coughing again. He sighed "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken it out on you, or anyone. I was just so fucking scared.... I… We can talk about it later, ok? I'm just happy to see you awake"

V moved his arm so that he would be able to lace his fingers though Kerry’s.

Knowing now that he was in safe arms, exhaustion took over and V fell asleep a short time later.

.................

After many long hours V woke up again. Kerry moved from where he was sitting by a desk to where the nomad was lying. _He seemed better,_ Kerry thought, _his movements faster, eyes brighter_. _He also wasn’t coughing and his breathing seemed to be somewhat steady._

V sat up, but remained in bed.

With concern lacing his voice Kerry asked "Are you feeling better? Can you inhale fully yet? No shallowness of breath?"

V let out a short laugh and in raspy voice said "I don't know. Every time you are around I get shortness of breath"

"Oh shut up" Kerry let out a laugh, pressing his head against the nomad's shoulder. _V was definitely feeling a lot better if flirting was on his mind_ , Kerry thought.

V smiled and wrapped his hands around Kerry. For a moment they just stayed like that.

"You know you mumble when you are high on painkillers" Kerry said in a muffled voice

"Did I say anything interesting?"

"Your door code" Kerry said with a laugh, untangling himself from V's hug, so he could look into the merc’s eyes

V laughed, ending up wheezing

"And you also kept repeating Kerry's name" said a soft voice behind them "I brought you two some food" Misty said passing Kerry two styrofoam boxes.

.................

Vik let V go the next day. The ripperdoc declared him healthy enough to leave, but he forbade him to take any jobs for a while, telling him to stay at home and relax. This was fine with V, who couldn't get out of the hospital bed fast enough.

V had planned to just rest at his apartment for a while, but Kerry offered him to stay at his place. The nomad wasn't even going to hide the fact that he was relieved by the offer.

The following days, Kerry took care of V, making sure that the man had everything he wanted or needed. Although the merc had tried to explain that he was ok, and was able to move or cook, or anything else that didn’t require too much physical strength, Kerry followed him every step of the way, offering a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on.

V couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have someone like Kerry in his life.

.................

By day four of being out of the clinic, V felt more or less like his usual self - no longer being exhausted by simple actions or movements. Still, the wound on his chest ached and he occasionally had the urge to cough.

It was afternoon and the two men were watching a movie. The main character, which had spent most of his life in a tiny town, had just been offered a job in a bustling city.

The scene made Kerry realize something. "You know, you never told me why you came to NC"

"Oh... It's kind of a long story... and not the most pleasant one" V paused for a moment.

"Oh. Well, we can just talk about it some other time or someth---"

"No, I don't mind" V said, but paused after.

Kerry squeezed the nomad's hand encouraging him to continue if he wanted to, so he did "Olivia, the de facto matriarch of the clan and well.... my grandma, was ill. A rare kind of illness, meaning there was no chance of survival unless she got a new liver. Well, as luck would have it, there was a seller in Arizona. Eli, the leader of the clan, forbade anyone to act on it, but I went against his will and set up the meeting. If there was a chance to save Olivia, I was going to take it. A few others who thought the same joined me. It turned out to be a trap…. of course it did…" V shook his head "It was a rival gang who set up the deal. They pulled guns on us the second we took the cyberware organ. Two of my friends got away with the item; while I and Jude did our best to make sure that the goons are distracted. We succeed; the gang was too busy to follow the cyberware. What it also meant is that now they were coming after us. By some miracle they lost Jude's tracks. They kept chasing me several days though, so I was on the run. That's how I met Jackie; he helped me to move across the border into NC where they couldn't follow"

V coughed. While he felt fine, this much taking took its toll. After catching his breath he continued "I tried my best to get back. A year passed and they were still out there hunting me. I think they thought that if they catch me they can blackmail Eli and take on the clan"

"No offense, but why you? What makes you so special that they would wait a year to get to you?"

"I guess I forgot to mention Eli is my dad…. Kinda makes me a target, you know?" V half laughed half coughed "I am a wanted man. We've been _dealing_ with them gradually ever since the day I got here, so I would be able to leave this city and get back to the clan"

Kerry nodded and was silent for a moment, taking in all of the information.

"How far are you? Dealing with them, I mean"

"We're close" V answered vaguely

"Does that mean you are leaving? When?"

"I don't know. It may be a month till it's safe, maybe more"

Kerry nodded, now it was the musician who had trouble with breathing. _He had just gotten V back from the dead, and now he was telling him he was leaving?_ It seemed like a nightmare. _Another loop,_ Kerry thought, _of course it is another fucking loop._

V reached for Kerry's arm "You know that was the only thing I could think about. How I'm gonna get out of here. But.... now I'm not so sure that's what I want that anymore"

Knowing exactly what V meant by that, Kerry shook his head in protest "You can't just leave your clan. You shouldn't even have to make this choice. I'm not gonna let you sacrifice y---"

"It's not your choice to make" V said

Kerry stayed silent. He wasn't sure what to say. Of course he wanted V to stay, but his home was out there, same way Kerry's was here.

Seeing the musician's inner turmoil, V reached for Kerry, pulling the man into a hug. He rubbed Kerry's back and laid them both down on the couch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left! Are you ready for it? I'm not sure if I am ready for it to end :D


	13. Chapter 13 - Whole Lotta You

Chapter 13 - Whole Lotta You

Less than two weeks had passed since V was free to leave the ripperdoc's clinic. The nomad had spent the days at Kerry's house, healing and relaxing with the rockerboy.

Once V felt well enough to be able to drive by himself, the nomad insisted on picking up his car from where Jackie had left it, as well as _"run some errands",_ as he had put it. Apart from asking V to stay safe and promise not to get into any situation that would be too straining on his health, Kerry didn't question it. As nice as it was to spend more than a week together, laying around in the house doing absolutely nothing, he also understood that the nomad needed to get out of the house from time to time.

What V had said before, about leaving NC, still weighted on Kerry's mind. Even though the nomad had tried to tell Kerry that he wouldn't leave, Kerry knew that the merc was just trying to console him. It reminded him of how Johnny had left all of his friends... _a loop_.... _At one point V would go and not return. He'd go back to his clan and that would be the end of it all._ Kerry tried his best to keep his mind off of this topic, to enjoy what they had now, but the thought always stayed there, in the back of his mind, _a looming darkness_....

V returned to the house late in the evening with the Thorton and a duffel bag with his stuff. Having spent all day moving around had been refreshing, but at the same time he couldn't wait to get back. While V wasn't exactly moving in with Kerry, it would be nice to have some of his stuff there, so he doesn't have to constantly make trips across half of the city for clothes and ammo. Besides, the past few days had made the musician's house feel more like home than his own apartment had felt in weeks.

..................

A day later the two men were sitting under an umbrella by the pool. Kerry was scribbling something down from time to time, while V was tinkering with his gear, currently cleaning his favorite gun.

Giving the weapon a final once over, he put it down and turned his attention to Kerry.

The musician was chewing the end of his pen, his brow furrowed at the paper. The man must have felt V's gaze, as he suddenly turned to the merc. V grinned at him and winked. With a smile on his face, the musician shook his head and went back to writing.

After a while, Kerry put down the paper and rubbed his eyes.

Taking this as a queue that Kerry was taking a break V spoke "Tired?"

"Mmm" the man hummed agreeing "Gonna take a small break and stretch. Maybe get a drink. You in?"

"Sure, why not" V said getting up and offering his hand to Kerry

The two men made their way to the outdoor bar. Kerry moved behind the counter picking up several bottles and starting to mix something together. _Judging by the ingredients, it seemed that it would be something sugary,_ V noted. After a moment of rattling the cocktail shaker, he filled two glasses, passing one to V.

Leaning on the counter, V took a sip of the sweet concoction and said "So I was thinking.... now that I am well, I would like to take you out on a date"

"Oh? You got something specific in mind?" Kerry asked, sounding a lot more awake now, than he had just a second ago

"Yeah, was thinking we could go camping in the Badlands for a day or two? Find a nice place. Take a break from the noises of the city"

Kerry thought for a second and said "Yeah... yes that would be nice!"

"We could go tomorrow?"

"Yeah that sounds good. We could go shopping later this evening then? Get some food to bring along" Kerry was getting excited "Oh! Could also bring a guitar"

"And sing songs around the campfire?"

"Uh huh. Don't even pretend you're not into it"

V shook his head and smiled "You know me too well"

..................

They drove out in the desert, passing solar energy farms and gas stations along their way.

They drove for a while, till they found a spot they both liked. The two men had chosen an area up on a small hill, which overlooked the desert. _They were far enough from the city to see the stars once it got darker,_ V noted.

Using the side of the car, as well as canvas, burlap and several blankets, they set up a makeshift camp. They even decorated their shelter with some lights and pillows to make it more comfortable.

"I think it turned out pretty well" Kerry said looking at the half tent they had just made

"It looks nice" the nomad agreed, picking up the guitar they had brought with them and putting it down on the blankets. He sat down on one of the cushions and added "We'll just have to get the fire going when it gets dark"

Kerry sat down next to him, placing down a cooler. Taking two beers from the box, he passed one to V

"Thanks" V said and took a long drink. He leaned back, enjoying a moment of peace. _The air here is already better,_ V thought, _nothing compared to the West though_....

V took another drink from the bottle and placed it down. Getting more comfortable on the cushions he reached for the guitar. Putting it in his lap he started playing a slow tune.

Recognizing the old sappy love song, Kerry shook his head at the merc "Is that...More Than Words?" he chuckled "You're pulling out all of the stops today, aren't you?"

V smiled and said "What can I say? You just bring it out in me" before continuing to play the melody

"Pff gonk" Kerry said smiling ear to ear. He loved the rare times that he got to hear V play. He had played some music not long after they got back from Vik's, but it ended up being too straining on the still healing merc. Kerry was happy to know V really was feeling better.

After a few more strums V put down the guitar. _The sun was already starting to set_ , he noted. He was nervous. By no means could V be called a coward, but right now, his courage had left him. He didn't have much time left to do what he had planned on doing the whole week. _Now or never,_ he thought. Taking a deep breath he turned to Kerry "There's something I've been thinking about these last few days.... something I wanted to give you"

Kerry turned to the merc and gave him a questioning look. V got up, and reached for something in his bag. Having found what he was searching for, he sat down next to Kerry and handed him a palm sized box. Taking the box from V, the musician noted that it was light and neatly wrapped. _V must obviously have spent some time on this._ Kerry wondered what on earth could be in there.

"It's not going to bite" V chuckled, encouraging the man to unwrap it

"Hush. Let me enjoy it" Kerry said, inspecting the box for another second till he finally unwrapped it and pulled off the lid. Staring back at him was a palm sized embroidered patch depicting a wolf. _The same one, which V has on his jacket,_ Kerry noted.

The musician remembered then, what V had told him the day after Kerry hurt his leg.

_If your family member or loved one is in the clan, then you are by default considered to be, at least, an honorary member of the clan_

Kerry picked up the patch, running his fingers over the material. _V was inviting him to be a part of the clan... to be a part of his... life?_

"Does this mean....is that.... I mean do you...?" the musician fumbled with his words

"I'm not leaving, Ker" V said

"But y--"

"Look, I'm not saying that I will never leave the city. I _am_ going to visit the clan. Sometimes for longer periods of time. The clan is a part of who I am, whether I want it or not. What I'm saying is that I will always return.... and I would like you to be a part of that. Would you want that?" with that the nomad paused, waiting for Kerry to say something. But Kerry didn’t say anything. Misinterpreting the silence he started rambling "You don't have to give me the answer now, I get it if y--"

"Yes"

"Yes?"

"Definitely" Kerry smiled, putting down the box and pulling V in for a kiss. Even V's lips against Kerry's couldn't suppress the rockerboy's grin. Slow and steady, caressing, Kerry was holding V against him while the nomad pulled the man in his lap.

After a moment Kerry pulled back. He looked at V then - the man was a bit dazed from the kiss, looking at Kerry with a heartwarming grin on his face. His hair flopped on his forehead and Kerry couldn't resist the urge to run his hand though it, pinning the hair back and messing up his hairstyle even more than it already was from the kiss.

 _It was going to be difficult_ , Kerry thought, _his work was dangerous and his free spirit mean that he needed to be out on open road, not caged by city walls_. Sill, Kerry couldn't imagine anyone he'd rather share his life with

"I love you..." Kerry spoke softly, surprising himself in the process. He wasn't planning on saying that. It just... happened... _I do love him_ , Kerry thought.... _of course I do._ It was so obvious to him now.

"I love you" he repeated, adding "I know it's fast, but I do. I don't want to deny it"

The merc's eyes turned soft, he reached out, touching Kerry's cheek. Then, a glint of mischievousness appeared in the nomad's face "Can you say that again? I didn’t hear you the first time"

"Ugh" Kerry rolled his eyes, moving away, but smiling "I said - you are a hopeless romantic and a gonk"

"Nuh uh. Come here" V said, pulling Kerry back, gently digging his fingers into the musicians sides making him laugh. Kerry let himself be pulled back into the merc's chest and V didn't hesitate to kiss him.

Pulling away, V's tone turned serious "I feel the same way, and I will do everything just to prove it to you. I love you, Ker"

Kerry shook his head "You don't have to prove anything... Besides, I think this says plenty" Kerry said picking up the patch again "Just promise me you won't leave without telling me"

V cupped Kerry's cheeks with both of his hands and looked into his eyes "I am not leaving, not without you. Or at least not without telling you _exactly_ when I will be back. I promise"

"Good" he replied and then, after a small pause, Kerry continued "So.... I think this is a perfect time to tell you I finished the song I have been writing. The music and the lyrics finally came together"

"Oh? Weren't you working on it yesterday?"

"Yeah, I was, but ....I think I know how it ends now" Kerry smiled "I want you to be the first one to hear it"

Kerry reached around V, picking up the guitar. He started to strum the song he’d been working on since the day they met - a song about the luckiest musician in the world and the most stunning man he had ever met. It was fast, passionate and exciting.

As the rockerboy played away, the sun was setting over the horizon, but this was a new dawn for both of them.

* * *

_Chapter//song title//artist_

Work title: Glitter & Crimson – All Time Low

Chapter 1: Some Kind Of Disaster – All Time Low

Chapter 2: If You Can't Beat Them - Queen

Chapter 3: Fascinating New Thing - Semisonic

Chapter 4: Rebel Rebel – David Bowie

Chapter 5: Always Something There To Remind Me - Naked Eyes

Chapter 6: If You Want Blood (You Got It) – AC/DC

Chapter 7: Bad Medicine – Bon Jovi

Chapter 8: Rock And Roll All Nite – Kiss

Chapter 9: Favorite Place – All Time Low

Chapter 10: Wouldn't It Be Nice – The Beach Boys

Chapter 11: Love And Memories - O.A.R.

Chapter 12: Vicious Love – New Found Glory

Chapter 13: Whole Lotta You – A Rocket To The Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all folks! Thanks for reading the story!  
> This was a very interesting creative project and I think I might add to it in the (somewhat near) future, but for now I leave you with this :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first fic ever! Thank you SO much for reading it!  
> I have never written anything before, so I would appreciate comments and constructive criticism. Did you love it? Did you hate it? Would you want to see more? I hope you do, as I am halfway done with the whole thing :D  
> More tags will be added as I add the chapters


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